Catholic Relief Services mobilizes supplies after hurricane ‘rips through’ Caribbean

An empty street as Hurricane Beryl hit Kingston, Jamaica, on July 3, 2024. Beryl caused widespread damage in several island nations as it crossed the Caribbean and then hit the city of Houston. / Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

CNA Staff, Jul 12, 2024 / 16:55 pm (CNA).

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) said this week it is mobilizing humanitarian supplies after the extremely powerful Hurricane Beryl blew through the Caribbean, killing numerous people and destroying or damaging thousands of buildings. 

Beryl, which struck in late June, was the earliest-forming Category 5 hurricane on record in the Atlantic Ocean. Its wind speeds peaked at about 165 miles per hour and affected areas ranging from Barbados to Canada before dissipating this week. 

A Catholic Charities group in Texas said this week that it was coordinating aid in that state after the hurricane made landfall near Houston. 

CRS, meanwhile, said in a press release that it was partnering with aid workers in the Caribbean to respond to the devastation left in the hurricane’s wake. 

The monster storm “swept a destructive path” through Barbados, St. Vincent and The Grenadines, Grenada, and Jamaica, CRS noted, leaving at least 10 dead there and thousands seeking refuge. 

Cristopher Lopez, a technical adviser on CRS’ Humanitarian Response Department, said in the release that homes in the region suffered widespread devastation. 

“The rains and winds have ripped off roofs, cars are under water and many communities have lost power because of all the fallen trees,” he said.

Low-lying areas were swept by flooding and swells, CRS noted, while mountainous areas were hit by high winds. 

Lopez noted that the devastation “has been no impediment for the youth volunteers” in the region “who have been trained in first aid and search and rescue” and who are assisting partners in the area. 

CRS said it was working with Caritas Grenada to address the crisis there; around 1,600 people are in shelters, the organization said, with that number “expected to double” due to widespread building damage. Caritas Antilles is also working at distributing emergency aid. 

The emergency response crews will determine overall emergency needs before coordinating distribution of “shelter supplies; food and cash assistance; hygiene kits and sanitation supplies; and long-term support for home repairs and rebuilding and infrastructure restoration,” CRS said.