Hurricane Beryl, part 2 - impact and aftermath

Interested in contributing to relief efforts? Thank you!!! I recommend this grass-roots fund created by cruisers, delivering supplies to all impacted islands:

https://gofund.me/0bd6f876

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This is part 2 of our post about Hurricane Beryl - if you missed part 1, I encourage you to go back and read it to set the stage.

The Storm

The eye of Hurricane Beryl was forecast to pass over the islands at 11am on Monday, July 1. As you read in my previous blog, the last few boats seeking safe harbor came limping in to Trinidad late Sunday night. And as we watched, she got stronger at an inconceivable rate...from tropical depression to category 4 hurricane in less than 48 hours. And while we felt safe in Trinidad, each update spelled out greater disaster for the islands in her path.

If you haven't been in the direct path of a hurricane, you may not realize this - but they wobble. Even if the forecasted path is clear, hurricanes can easily shift a few miles to the north or south, which completely changes the lives of those in its way. The southern side is almost always less damaging than the northern side because of the hurricane's forward momentum (at least, for storms in the Atlantic Ocean). By far, the worst place to be is in the eye or north of the eye. 

One advantage of having a floating home - we were able to move to where it was virtually guaranteed to be on the southern side of the hurricane. Those living on land in the Eastern Caribbean don't have that luxury. All they could do was watch and pray. At one point, Beryl had Bequia in itscrosshairs. But the models kept creeping south. The same trend that worried us for our "safe harbor" in Grenada was even more worrisome for the residents of Carriacou and several small islands of southern St Vincent and the Grenadines. And in the end, the 150mph eyewall of Beryl passed directly over Carriacou - where Seascape had been less than a week before!

The eye of Beryl crossing over Carriacou

We were safely tucked into a very protected bay in Trinidad, 100nm from the eye of the storm - but even then, we felt some of the winds. At one point, the wind shifted so it was coming straight into the bay, across the open waters west of Trinidad. We rode out three hours of 3-foot swells, but nothing Seascape couldn't handle. The smaller monohulls in our bay took it a bit worse...but it was all infinitely better than those further north. Even in southern Grenada, where we had originally planned to ride out the storm, sustained winds exceeded 70mph, with the peak gust registering over 120mph. 

Scotland Bay (after the storm, hence the muddy runoff around the edges)

Monohull behind us during Beryl

While it's not part of Seascape's story, I have to acknowledge that Beryl continued west, wreaking havoc in Jamaica, Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, and SE TX. We hope for speedy recoveries in all of these impacted areas as well.

The Aftermath

We were quickly able to confirm that our friends who had stayed in southern Grenada were safe. Our friends on Mon Amie, a power catamaran, had chosen to ride out the storm on a mooring ball - and ended up motoring around for hours dragging the concrete block that was supposed to secure them to the ocean floor. Thankfully, the boat and her crew escaped unharmed. Several other boats in the area weren't as lucky, and washed up on shore. 

Mon Amie's track during the storm...all with a concrete blog dangling from the front cleats

Unsurprisingly, it took longer for reports to start coming out from the worst affected areas. Cell towers were knocked down and all communication was cut off for the better part of a day, and well after that updates were slow in coming. What we heard right away: complete devastation. Below is the first quantifiable update we heard, released a few days after Beryl hit.

Carriacou, Grenada
The total population of 6,081 has been affected, so shelter is "a significant consideration." Majority of homes and buildings have been extensively damaged. Communications have been significantly compromised.

Petite Martinique, Grenada
Estimated 80% of the houses and buildings extensively damaged or destroyed. 900 people affected. Majority of the island is sheltering in place.

Canouan, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
100% of the island's population (12,600) has been affected. An estimated 90% of the houses were damaged, either extensively or destroyed.

Union Island, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Full population of 3,000 was affected by extensive damage. Estimated 98% of buildings, including houses badly damaged or destroyed. Airport control tower destroyed, hospital roof destroyed. Power plant received significant damage. Government assisting people who wish to evacuate.

Mayreau, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Total population of 300 people affected. 90% of the housing stock and buildings have been damaged or destroyed.

The earliest evidence of the destruction was drone footage of Hillsborough - the capitol of Carriacou, and where Seascape had recently been anchored. It made me realize how much harder it is to watch these videos when you know the location, the buildings and the people...as we pointed out with sadness the many places we'd been that were no longer standing. The following day, footage was released of Tyrell Bay - where we had ridden out Tropical Storm Bret, and where many cruisers were sheltering in the mangroves or had their boats on the hard. As a cruiser, that damage was particularly hard to watch.

Hillsborough Drone Footage
Tyrell Bay Drone Footage

First look at Paradise Beach Club, Carriacou - a special place for all cruisers in the area

Boats in the boatyard in Tyrell Bay Marina

Kim and Dave on their boat Melelana after she rode out the storm in the mangroves (Kim and Dave thankfully were on land when she passed overhead)

Remnants of the Catholic Church on Mayreau, built in 1930

Clean-up already underway

Photo from our visit last year

There are now many more videos and photos circulating - of the immediate damage and the repairs already underway - but I just can't go back and curate them right now. Suffice to say, it's all tragic. The only amazing thing is that the loss of life during Beryl was so minimal.

Relief Efforts

Thankfully I am able to end this blog with a bit of a positive note. The amount of energy that has been directed into relief and recovery efforts was immediate and outstanding. I'm so very proud of the people of this region - businesses, citizens, and cruisers, all working hard to help however they could.

First: the cruiser community. The cruiser community in Trinidad immediately rallied to raise funds and coordinate relief efforts. Cruisers from as far north as Saint Martin have since joined in. As of this writing, more than 50 sailboats have loaded up relief supplies and sailed them to the affected areas.

Please understand that using your sailboat - your home - for supply delivery is NOT an easy task. The weather doesn't make exceptions for special circumstances - so these boats were making long treks (often spanning multiple full days of sailing), in often squally weather, with their boats slowed down by the weight of all the supplies. And they were heading into areas where debris is strewn everywhere - creating dangerous conditions for sailing (when objects are still floating) and anchoring (where the sea floor is now littered with everything blown off the land). And they were also taking the risk that desperate or dangerous people might see an opportunity to loot the very vessels that had come to try to provide assistance. I greatly admire the cruisers - including several of our friends - who were able and willing to make that journey.

First cruiser shopping run - buying $3500 worth of supplies

Supplies stacked at Power Boats Marina, ready to be loaded

Supplies loaded on a sailboat and ready for departure

Cruiser-compiled video of relief efforts in Trinidad. The man speaking at the beginning is Jesse James...who tirelessly switched from helping the hundreds of arriving cruisers to leading local donation efforts. A true saint!

Second: the citizens of neighboring countries. Contributions ranged from large corporate donations to individual citizens, and supplies were either loaded on the above-mentioned sailboats or on ferries. A brave group of boats left Tobago to make the 100 mile+ trek carrying relief supplies in tiny little pangas! I'm talking about boats like this!!! Thankfully they all made it there and back safely. You can hopefully see the video here.

Local donations being collected at Angostura's headquarters

And it's not all about neighboring countries contributing. The German consulate in Grenada donated 11 tons of relief supplies, which we helped load onto a volunteer boat. She is a large sailboat, but we dropped her waterline by 4 inches or more with all those supplies! (To the best of my knowledge, the United States government has done nothing. Hmm...)

SV Diamant - the vessel that would carry the German donations

Cruisers, Grenadian citizens, and representatives from the German consulate all working together

Can you see how much the waterline has changed?

Leave it to the Germans to make sure there's beer for the volunteers!

It will take a long time to rebuild - there are still people sleeping on concrete floors, with only the clothes on their backs. But the perseverance here in the islands is amazing, and the commitment to work together is strong. With the help of neighboring islands, cruisers, and other non-profit organizations - they will get there. In the meantime, please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.