Hurricane Beryl is expected to hit Jamaica by the early hours of Wednesday morning, and Prime Minister Andrew Holness on Tuesday night declared the island a disaster area for the next seven days.
Addressing the nation, Holness said the decision was based on section 26 of the Disaster Risk Management Act and was taken after careful consideration of the system’s trajectory, its expected strength and impacts, the potential threats arising therefrom and after being notified in writing by the government.
The Prime Minister also announced that an island-wide curfew will be imposed from 6am to 6pm on Wednesday, July 3, 2024.
“This is to ensure everyone’s safety during the passage of the storm and to prevent any movements with criminal intent,” he said.
Holness also said evacuation orders had been issued for flood- and landslide-prone areas below sea level, as well as areas near ravines and waterways, under the direction of authorized officials.
“If evacuation advice is issued, we urge all Jamaicans to comply with it. However, even if no advice is issued, if you live in low-lying areas, in areas historically prone to flooding and landslides, or along river banks or ravines, we urge you to seek shelter or seek safer areas,” he said.
He further said that the Minister of Commerce will also issue an order under Section 8 of the Trade Act to prevent price gouging of essential goods during disasters.
The Minister further said that he had consulted with the operators of the East-West Toll Expressway and the North-South Toll Expressway to make the toll roads free of charge from 6pm to midnight on Tuesday, July 2, 2024.
“This is to ensure that all Jamaicans currently on the roads can get home safely and conveniently,” he said.
The Chief Minister said details of the various orders would be published in the Official Gazette, publicised in the media and posted on various government websites.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Jamaica Meteorological Service (MetService) announced that Hurricane Beryl had been downgraded from Category 5 to Category 4, with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph.
The weather bureau said in its 1pm update on Tuesday that the storm is expected to weaken further as it heads towards Jamaica.
Although the hurricane has weakened slightly, the devastating storm is still hurtling through the Caribbean Sea and is expected to make landfall in southern Jamaica on Wednesday.
