1 July 2024, Bridgetown.  The 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season was predicted to be hyperactive, and with early impacts. The predictions seem spot on.   Hurricane Beryl intensified rapidly on June 30th, becoming the earliest Category 4 hurricane on record to date.  Beryl then raged through the Eastern Caribbean today, with the eye passing directly over Carriacou.  150 mph winds, heavy rains, and dangerous storm surge have reportedly caused significant loss and damage to homes, public buildings, and sea vessels in the three-island state of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique, and neighbouring Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.  Barbados was not directly affected by hurricane force winds, but the outer bands brought storm force winds, heavy rains, and storm surge that wreaked havoc to property and livelihoods.  Power outages have affected all the southern islands, and Saint Lucia, Martinique, and Dominica have possibly suffered varying levels of damage from Beryl.  While official reports have not yet come in, the southern islands have clearly suffered serious impacts.  So far there are no reports of loss of life, but expectations are that many people, particularly from vulnerable groups, have been displaced.  

Coordinator for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Caribbean Office, Patrice Quesada expressed solidarity with the affected islands “We have not been able to hear anything from Carriacou and Petite Martinique or the Grenadines in the past few hours. Our thoughts are with the people, and we stand ready to work alongside their governments.  We sincerely hope that everyone made it through the storm safe and alive”.    

 Anticipating the impacts of Hurricane Beryl, and another system closely following behind, IOM deployed its Caribbean Emergency Coordinator to Barbados to support the work of the Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), which is liaising with the national authorities of Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to coordinate the regional response.   

Learning from the experiences of 2017, IOM knew it was important to have essential items stocked nearby, as storms become more frequent, intense and erratic.  In response, IOM was the first client to utilize the new Logistics Hub facility in Barbados, stockpiling items including solar lights, ropes, tarpaulins and modular tents in this new facility as part of its emergency preparedness strategy. 

IOM's roster of regional emergency response experts are currently on standby to join national and CDEMA led assessment teams, monitoring movements, collecting and disseminating displacement data using its Displacement Tracking Matrix tool (DTM); implementing shelter, non-food and cash distributions; coordinating emergency shelters, and providing psychosocial first aid.  The Organization also has a strong record of contributing to the recovery and rehabilitation of essential infrastructure such as schools, residences, businesses, and emergency shelters in the Caribbean, including by making them more accessible for people with disabilities, the elderly, and others, as most recently in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines following the 2021 volcanic eruption. 

IOM has also worked closely with the emergency management agencies throughout the region, supporting the development and testing of important regional procedures to navigate the increased incidence of internal and cross-border displacements due to climate-induced disasters.  Several key technical documents have resulted from this collaboration with agencies including CDEMA, the OECS Commission, and national disaster management agencies.     

Under the leadership of CDEMA, IOM is lending its support, providing relief items and a well-trained surge team to support national and regional responses to the passage of Hurricane Beryl.  Meanwhile we remain vigilant and are finalizing preparations in anticipation of possible impacts in the northern islands including Jamaica, and monitoring another system in the Atlantic, which is expected to reach the Eastern Caribbean on Wednesday. 

For more information on IOM’s response or other activities, contact IOMCaribbeanOffice@iom.int or malleyne@iom.int