As Texas braces for a potential hit, the Gulf of Mexico is home to a unique group of storms named the Beryls

A Texas Long-Range Hurricane: Warnings and Warnings on the Texas Coastline for Floods, Heavy Rain, Wind, and Inundation

“We are expecting Beryl to be intensifying up until landfall early Monday, and people should be preparing for the possibility of a category 2 hurricane landfall,” Eric Blake, a senior hurricane specialist with the National Hurricane Center, said in an advisory Sunday. “There is a danger of life-threatening storm surge inundation along the coast of Texas. Local officials in those areas give advice and evacuate if there is an emergency.

Texas officials warned the state’s entire coastline to prepare for flooding, heavy rain and wind as they await a more defined path of the storm. There are watches in place for the Texas coastline from the mouth of the Rio Grande to San Luis Pass, less than 80 miles south of Houston.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the acting governor while Gov. Greg Abbott is traveling in Taiwan, issued a pre-emptive disaster declaration for 40 counties.

Some Texas coastal cities called for voluntary evacuations in low-lying areas prone to flooding, banned beach camping and urged tourists traveling on the July 4 holiday weekend to move recreational vehicles from coastal parks. In Corpus Christi, city officials announced it had distributed 10,000 sandbags in less than two hours Friday, exhausting its supply.

The Yucatan Peninsula had a rough time Friday morning: destruction in the worst-impacted area of the island, including the southern parish of St. Elizabeth

There was destruction in Jamaica, St.Vincent and the Grenadines and Barbados this week. Three people have been reported dead in Grenada, three in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, three in Venezuela and two in Jamaica, officials said.

Mexican authorities moved some tourists and resident out of low-lying areas before the storm, but tens of thousands still battled out the strong winds and storm surge. It’s close to the sea level in part of the area around Tegucigalpa.

The city was without power when the storm hit. Screeching winds set off car alarms across the town. Wind and rain continued to whip the seaside city and surrounding areas Friday morning. Army brigades roved the streets of the tourist city, clearing fallen trees and power lines.

Although no dead or wounded have been reported, nearly half of Tulum continued to be without electricity, said Laura Velázquez, national coordinator of Mexican Civil Protection.

While many in the Yucatan Peninsula took a deep breath, Jamaica and other islands ravaged by the hurricane were still reeling. Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness promised swift relief for residents after visiting one of the worst-affected areas of the island, the southern parish of St Elizabeth on Thursday.

Source: Beryl churns in the Gulf of Mexico as Texas braces for a potential hit

Tourism, Natural Resources, and the Texas Gulf Coast Flooding Aftertaste of Hurricane Harvey in Tulum, Iowa, During a News Conference

Tourists also took precautions. Lara Marsters, 54, a therapist visiting Tulum from Boise, Idaho, said she had filled up empty water bottles from the tap.

“It will be a deadly storm for people who are directly in that path,” Patrick said at a news conference Sunday afternoon. Property can be repaired but lives can’t be.

The lieutenant governor also shared his worries about tourists visiting for the July Fourth holiday not being aware of how dangerous Beryl will be. The maps are still green and we’ve looked at all the roads leaving the coast. So we don’t see many people leaving. If you’re moving, today is the day,” he said.

Kidd said that freshwater flooding tends to be more of a killer than the actual storm surge. “Do not drive through water, please.” Turn around. Don’t drown.”

In anticipation of the storm, the city of Galveston closed all city facilities on Monday. The White House said in a statement that the Federal Emergency Management Agency sent responders and resources to communities along the coast.

“We expect it to be right in line with what we expect when we’re warming the planet and we’rewarming our oceans,” an expert told NPR. “When we’re warming the planet with our fossil-fuel emissions, we’re making it more likely that we have those warm ocean waters that can allow a storm like Beryl to really develop and intensify quickly.”

Residents along Texas’ Gulf Coast remember Hurricane Harvey, which hit the area hard in 2017 as a Category 4 hurricane. The storm devastated the region with catastrophic flooding — killing at least 68 people in Texas.