Jamaicans will contend with food shortages in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, which is estimated to have destroyed over $6.4 million in food crops and supporting infrastructure, officials in Jamaica said on Monday.
Floyd Green, Jamaica’s agriculture minister, said preliminary assessments indicate significant damage to crops including vegetables, tubers such as yam and cassava, and fruits like breadfruit, ackee, mangoes and bananas, which are popular food sources.
He said livestock and fishing sectors were also impacted significantly by the record-breaking storm that unleashed tumultuous winds and rainfall as it traveled westward just off Jamaica’s south coast last week on route to the Cayman Islands, Mexico, and Texas.
The Jamaican government is continuing its assessment of the damage wrought by Hurricane Beryl, which caused widespread damage mainly along the south coast of Jamaica. Beryl diminished into tropical storm, hitting Texas on Monday, after hitting Mexico, Jamaica, Barbados and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Three people were reported dead in Grenada, three in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, three in Venezuela and two in Jamaica.
The United Nations spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said on Monday that the organization is supporting authorities to help with access to clean water, shelter, food and health services by sending teams to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada and Jamaica.