Chicagoans take cover in Jamaica as Hurricane Beryl hits the island
CHICAGO (CBS)—Chicagoans abroad, including Lakeview resident Matt Linder, are taking cover and trying to ride out Hurricane Beryl while friends and family hope for the best.
"Look, everybody in their mother was trying to leave here yesterday, and leaving Negril is not as simple as just taking the Orange Line to Midway or the Blue Line to O'Hare, right? In order to get to where we are at, we had to take an hour and a half bus."
Linder had to move his daughter's crib from the window as he watched a storm take over their vacation paradise.
"The wind started picking up about an hour and a half ago. We have had some power and Wi-Fi flickers, so you can definitely tell that the storm is coming in, but right now, it has not hit Negril," Linder said.
The storm brought heavy rain and powerful winds to the island nation. Airports in Montego Bay and Kingston are closed, and an island-wide curfew is in effect.
"We are very concerned. The southeast portion of the island is going to get hard, and that is where my family is," said Lester Barclay, Honorary Consul of Jamaica for Chicago and the Midwest.
Honorary Consul for Jamaica for only six months, Lester Barclay, is now in the position of helping Chicago's Jamaican community, approximately 70,000 to 80,000 people, as they navigate this storm.
He last visited the island in 2022 and is now getting updates from the embassies in New York and information from the ground in Jamaica. He said it's too early to know what aid to send or what help they will need.
"As you know, Jamaica relies heavily on tourism. So damage to property can be devastating for the economy," Barclay said.
Staff at Lindner's hotel are preparing for damage, while he worries what the Jamaicans will be left to live with.
"We are just trusting what the staff tells us, right? There is no need for us to go to the grocery store. There is no need for us to take resources away from other Jamaicans," Linder said.
The storm is expected to affect the Cayman Islands and Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, and forecasters are watching to see if it tracks toward the Southern US.
Barclay said the consulate is already looking to its partners to work on sending relief and will put out more information on that in the next few days.