Tropical Storm Beryl is barreling towards the Texas coast, threatening to bring heavy rains, howling winds, and dangerous storm surge. The storm is forecast to regain hurricane status before making landfall on Monday. A hurricane warning has been issued for a large portion of the Texas coastline, stretching from Baffin Bay, south of Corpus Christi, to Sargent, south of Houston. Storm surge warnings are also in effect, and other areas are under tropical storm warnings.
“We’re expecting the storm to make landfall somewhere on the Texas coast sometime Monday, if the current forecast is correct,” said Jack Beven, a senior hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center in Miami. “Should that happen, it’ll most likely be a Category 1 hurricane.” As of Saturday night, Beryl was approximately 330 miles (535 kilometers) southeast of Corpus Christi, with top sustained winds of 60 mph (95 kph). The storm is moving northwest at 13 mph (20 kph).
Beryl, the earliest storm to reach Category 5 status in the Atlantic this year, has already caused significant damage and loss of life. It claimed at least 11 lives as it traversed the Caribbean earlier this week. The storm then battered Mexico as a Category 2 hurricane, uprooting trees but causing no injuries or deaths before weakening to a tropical storm as it crossed the Yucatan Peninsula.
Texas officials are urging residents along the entire coastline to prepare for potential flooding, heavy rain, and strong winds. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, acting governor while Gov. Greg Abbott is traveling in Taiwan, has issued a preemptive disaster declaration for 121 counties. “Beryl is a determined storm, and incoming winds and potential flooding will pose a serious threat to Texans who are in Beryl’s path at landfall and as it makes its way across the state for the following 24 hours,” Patrick stated on Saturday.
Several coastal cities have implemented voluntary evacuations in low-lying areas prone to flooding. Beach camping has been prohibited, and tourists traveling for the Fourth of July holiday weekend are being urged to relocate recreational vehicles from coastal parks. Mitch Thames, a spokesman for Matagorda County, revealed that officials issued a voluntary evacuation request for coastal areas about 100 miles (160 kilometers) southwest of Houston. “Our No. 1 goal is the health and safety of all our visitors and of course our residents. I’m not so much worried about our residents. Those folks that live down there, they’re used to this, they get it,” Thames said.
In Corpus Christi, officials have asked visitors to shorten their trips and return home early if possible. Residents are advised to secure their homes by boarding up windows, if necessary, and utilizing sandbags to prevent potential flooding. Traffic at an Ace Hardware in the city has been non-stop for the past three days as customers purchase tarps, rope, duct tape, sandbags, and generators, according to employee Elizabeth Landry. “They’re just worried about the wind, the rain,” she stated. “They’re wanting to prepare just in case.”
Ben Koutsoumbaris, general manager of Island Market on Corpus Christi’s Padre Island, noted a surge in customer activity due to the impending storm. “There’s definitely a lot of buzz about the incoming storm,” he said, adding that customers are stocking up on food and drinks, particularly meat and beer. “I heard there’s been some talk about people having like hurricane parties.”
In Refugio County, north of Corpus Christi, authorities have issued a mandatory evacuation order for its 6,700 residents.
Before reaching Mexico, Beryl caused destruction in Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Barbados. Three fatalities were reported in Grenada, three in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, three in Venezuela, and two in Jamaica.
