Nearly two weeks after Hurricane Beryl devastated the southeast Caribbean, officials are urgently appealing for $9 million in international aid (AP, Reuters). Hurricane Beryl, which made history as the first Category 4 storm in June in the Atlantic, left thousands homeless across Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, claiming at least seven lives and causing widespread destruction of homes, infrastructure, and livelihoods (AP). Leaders from these small Caribbean island nations called for international lenders to ease financing terms due to escalating climate change impacts (AP, Reuters). Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, described the aftermath as "Beryl’s Armageddon," with entire islands decimated in hours. Dickon Mitchell, Prime Minister of Grenada, lamented that the hurricane destroyed 90% of buildings on several islands, leaving no economy and an urgent need to sustain the population for the next six months (AP).

The United Nations (U.N.) has joined the call for assistance, noting that $5 million is needed for Grenada and the remainder for St. Vincent and the Grenadines to aid 43,000 affected individuals. Simon Springett, U.N. resident coordinator for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, emphasized the unprecedented disruption caused by Beryl, exacerbated by climate change, which experts believe intensifies hurricanes (AP).

Caribbean island nations have long advocated for wealthy countries to fulfill pledges on emission reductions, climate funding, and debt relief. They criticized international lenders for insufficient readiness to handle disasters of this magnitude, noting limited relief funds available. The Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility announced its largest-ever payout to Grenada, underscoring the region's vulnerability and the inadequacy of current financial mechanisms (Reuters). The forecast for the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season predicts above-average activity, underscoring ongoing concerns for vulnerable Caribbean nations facing increasingly frequent and severe storms (AP).