Editor’s Note
This article reports on the ongoing impact of Hurricane Beryl as it moves through the Caribbean. The storm has caused fatalities and significant damage, with alerts remaining in effect for several nations. We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates.
Hurricane Beryl continues to trigger alerts in Jamaica, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic after its devastating passage through the Lesser Antilles in recent hours.
According to the EFE news agency, the powerful cyclone has already caused at least four deaths: three in Grenada and one in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. However, authorities warn the death toll may be higher on these islands and others like Carriacou, where it made landfall on Monday as a Category 4 storm.
Beryl is derived from the Greek word ‘beryllos’, which names a group of precious stones such as emerald, aquamarine, bixbite, and morganite.
According to the specialized website Gem Select, the Beryl family of gemstones is probably the most successful of all crystal clans—the Rockefellers or Rothschilds of jewels, one might say, although the corundums, which include ruby and sapphire, might want to argue.
These jewels have a hexagonal crystalline structure and are used in both gemology and the jewelry industry. Emerald is one of the most valuable gems, especially if it has a deep green color and high clarity, while aquamarine commands a high price for its intense blue tones, reminiscent of the ocean.
The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) categorized Hurricane Beryl as a premature and “extremely dangerous” cyclone, as never before has the first cyclone of the season escalated to Category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson scale. It is advancing through the Atlantic with powerful winds and storm surge.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) added the name Beryl to the list of hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean in 1982, and since then it has been used seven times for a series of tropical storms and hurricanes in the region. In fact, only in 1988 and 2018 did it become a Category 1 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, without causing significant damage.