This week, Hurricane Beryl became the earliest hurricane in history to reach the Category 5 level in the Atlantic Ocean. The National Hurricane Center said Tuesday that Beryl is “expected to bring life-threatening winds and storm surge to Jamaica on Wednesday and the Cayman Islands Wednesday night and Thursday.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Jamaica must take this hurricane seriously. I am now declaring the whole of Jamaica to be
00:09a disaster area in accordance with section 26 of the Disaster Risk Management Act for the next
00:17seven days. All Jamaica should note that following on this declaration an island-wide curfew will be
00:26in effect between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. tomorrow, Wednesday the 3rd of July 2024.
00:38This is to ensure the safety of everyone during the passage of the storm
00:44and prevent any movement with the intent to carry out criminal activity.
00:50An evacuation order on the direction of authorized officers is also in effect for
01:00flood-prone and landslide-prone areas, areas at or below sea level and areas at or close to gullies
01:10or waterways. We also need our Jamaican household, our Jamaican family, you to be prepared. It is
01:19imperative that we remain calm. Now is not a time for panic. Hurricane Beryl is the earliest
01:27category 5 hurricane on record. It highlights the growing impact of climate change on global
01:37weather patterns, particularly on small island developing states like Jamaica. While our carbon
01:43emissions are miniscule, our region bears the brunt of the impacts of climate change.
01:50The hurricane further highlights the urgent need for global climate action and targeted
01:55support to enhance resilience against the escalating dangers of climate change.