- Author, Ian Aikman
- Role, BBC News
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Hurricane Beryl has hit Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula after wreaking havoc across the Caribbean, causing at least 10 deaths.
It made landfall as a Category Two hurricane early Friday, bringing winds of up to 175 km/h (108 mph).
It was later downgraded to a tropical storm, but is expected to intensify again over the Gulf of Mexico this weekend.
Beryl brought heavy rains to the tourist hotspots of Cancun and Tulum. No major damage was reported, but strong winds downed trees and caused power outages.
Civil Protection official Laura Velazquez said electricity would be fully restored to those still without it by Sunday.
Among those affected by the power outages is Tulum resident Carolina Vazquez, who spoke to Reuters as she waited in line at a soup kitchen run by the Mexican military on Friday.
“In my little house, a tree fell, half the house cracked, the roof tiles,” she said.
Fernando Trevino, an employee of a local company, said: “We are assessing the situation, but so far it seems that everything is in order with the protections that have been put in place, the preparations, etc.”
Ahead of Beryl’s arrival, schools were closed, hotel windows were boarded up and emergency shelters were set up in areas worst affected by the impact.
More than 8,000 soldiers from the Army, Air Force and National Guard have been deployed to the Yucatan Peninsula to provide support.
Hundreds of tourists have been evacuated from hotels and more than 3,000 have fled Holbox Island off the coast, according to local authorities.
More than 300 flights have been cancelled or delayed.
On Thursday, many homes and businesses were badly damaged in the Cayman Islands, particularly along the coast, where entire neighborhoods were flooded.
Hurricanes occur frequently near the peninsula, with the official storm season extending from June to late November.
Where will Hurricane Beryl go next?
The storm is expected to cross the Gulf of Mexico and move toward northeastern Mexico and southern Texas by the end of the weekend.
By the time it makes landfall Sunday evening, the storm is expected to strengthen into a hurricane again.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott urged residents of the state’s Gulf Coast to “have an emergency plan in place to take care of yourself and your loved ones.”
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has warned that the North Atlantic could see as many as seven major hurricanes this year, compared with an average of three per season.
