1. Hurricane Beryl is the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record.

Hurricane Beryl made landfall on Grenada’s Carriacou island on July 1, 2024 with wind gusts as high as 160 mph. After tearing through the Windward Islands, the hurricane weakened into a Category 4 storm and arrived in Jamaica midday on Wednesday, July 3. Officials reported life-threatening winds of 130 mph and up to a foot of rain, which triggered flash flooding. The storm then hit the Cayman Islands and Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Beryl later turned toward Texas on Monday, July 8 as a Category 1 storm with 90 mph gusts of wind and torrential rainfall.
Sources: USA Today, AP News, ABC News, + BBC

2. The storm’s death toll is sadly likely to rise.

At least 13 deaths have been reported in connection with Hurricane Beryl, and officials fear the death toll will rise as the scope of Beryl’s path of damage becomes clearer. At least eight deaths were reported in Texas and one in Lousiana.
Source: Reuters + The BBC

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3. 98% of the buildings on Grenada’s islands were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Beryl.

There are “hardly any buildings left standing on Union Island,” one resident told the BBC. Roughly 6,000 living in the now-flattened homes are now displaced. The UN migration agency said more than 200,000 people are to be affected by Hurricane Beryl through displacement and destroyed infrastructure.
Sources: BBC + The New York Times

4. Millions of people are without power.

“The situation is grim,” Grenadian Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell told a news conference Tuesday. “There is no power, and there is almost complete destruction of homes and buildings on the island. The roads are not passable, and in many instances they are cut off because of the large quantity of debris strewn all over the streets.”
Source: AP News + Loop

Two million homes and businesses are without power in Texas after the heavy rains and powerful winds knocked down power lines.

5. Unseasonably hot sea temperatures are fueling Beryl’s record-setting strength.

Hurricane Beryl is the only other previous recorded case of a Category 5 Atlantic hurricane in July—the other being Hurricane Emily on July 16, 2005. Scientific Officer of the World Metrological Office Anne-Claire Fontaine said that a reason Beryl developed so early is because of a streak of record sea surface temperatures in the North Atlantic since early last year that would be extremely unlikely without human-caused climate change.
Source: Reuters + BBC

6. GlobalGiving partners are already on the ground helping survivors access food, shelter, and other emergency services.

GlobalGiving is working with responding partners to meet the immediate needs of Hurricane Beryl survivors and first responders. Once urgent needs are met, the GlobalGiving Hurricane Beryl Relief Fund will transition to support community-led, long-term recovery efforts as needed.
Source: GlobalGiving Hurricane Beryl Relief Fund

7. Cash is the best way to help people in need during a natural disaster like Hurricane Beryl

Why? Survivors’ needs vary greatly throughout the life cycle of recovery. Some will require financial support, medical care, and psychological assistance years down the road. You can learn more about the importance of cash donations in this infographic with more practical tips for helping Hurricane Beryl survivors.
Sources: GlobalGiving + USAID Center for International Disaster Information

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This article was originally published on July 3, and last updated on July 9.

Featured Photo: Two neighbors stand on a beach looking at a large fallen tree by Ricardo Mazalan for AP News