Riviera Maya, Q.R. — UPDATED: A majority of the state has been without power since early Friday morning with the arrival of Hurricane Beryl. Within half-an-hour of its arrival, lights began to flicker as the storm entered the region.
Mexico’s National Meteorological Service (SMN) reported landfall at 5:05 a.m. as a Category 2 hurricane north of Tulum. However, Beryl slammed the island of Cozumel first, arriving around 3:00 a.m. local time with category 2 winds.
“At 03:00 hours, Central Mexico time, Hurricane Beryl was a Category 2 on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Its center was located approximately 45 kilometers (km) south of Cozumel and 65 km east of Tulum with maximum sustained winds of 175 kilometers per hour (km/h), gusts of 215 km/h and moving west-northwest at 24 km/h,” the Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (SMN) reported.
The island was beaten and battered for nearly two hours while the fast moving storm barreled forward toward the state’s coast. Rows of power poles were snapped by Beryl as the storm roared over the island leaving residents without electricity.
The Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE) reported 185,948 residents around Quintana Roo were left without electricity. “The CFE is coordinating with Civil Protection to determine when there is no risk to citizens or CFE personnel to begin restoration work.
“Once the conditions are met activities will continue until service is restored to all affected users. 2,330 electrical workers, 372 cranes, 624 vehicles, 68 emergency plants, 6 all-terrain vehicles, 39 mobile communication equipment and 5 helicopters have been made available for emergency response,” they reported.
Rain and wind was recorded in nearly every part of the state. Holbox, Isla Mujeres and Cancun were left with some flooded areas due to the extensive storm band. Puerto Morelos, Playa del Carmen and Puerto Aventuras were also soaked.
Pablo Gutiérrez Fernández of Cancun City hall reported 252 people people being moved to shelters of which 33 were tourists. He also said the city was left with only minimal damage.
Photo: July 5, 2024.
As Beryl headed toward Riviera Maya, its first order of business was power loss. The entire city of Playa del Carmen was left in the dark around 4:00 a.m. CFE personnel worked to restore electricity, which was finally up and running at approximately 2:00 p.m. Friday after personnel were forced to wait out the storm.
Beryl kept its eye focused on Tulum where it finally made landfall at Soliman Bay, north of Tulum.
“Friday morning, at 5:05 a.m. Central Mexico time, the center of Beryl made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale with maximum sustained winds of 175 kilometers per hour (km/h) and gusts of 220 km/h north of Tulum,” the SMN reported.
Days ahead of the storm’s arrival, the federal government announced the deployment of military personnel to help after the hurricane. Plans DN-III-E of the army and GN-A of the National Guard were implemented in states of Campeche, Yucatan and Quintana Roo.
The emergency plan deployed 2,392 army and air force soldiers and 2,501 elements of the National Guard who assisted with rescues, clean up, medical assistance and community food kitchens.
On Friday afternoon, Governor Mara Lezama reported the state was up and running normally. “Economic activity has been reactivated throughout the state, the dry law has been lifted and public transportation has been reactivated throughout the state,” she said.
Public transportation such as combis, city buses, ferry services (including Holbox) and taxis are running as is the Cancun International Airport. As of Saturday, the Tulum International Airport will also resume operations. Governor Mara Lezama had announced the airport would be shut until July 7 since Beryl was forecast to pass very near and structural damage was expected, however, the airport was left unscathed.
“We are resuming flights to the heart of the Mayan zone! Starting Saturday at 8:00 a.m., Tulum International Airport will resume operations to receive flights and passengers as normal following the passage of Hurricane Beryl in Quintana Roo,” Governor Lezama reported Friday.
Brigades of CFE personnel were out well past midnight still restoring power. More than two dozen trucks were sent to the state to restore electricity in effected areas. Governor Lezama reported as of Friday night, power outages were still felt in areas of Isla Mujeres, Tulum and several of the Mayan communities near where Beryl made landfall. Photos below are from July 6, 2024.
There have not been any deaths reported in Quintana Roo due to Hurricane Beryl.
The storm has officially left Quintana Roo and is now a tropical storm where intense rains have been reported in Campeche, Yucatan, Chiapas and Tabasco. The storm is forecast to regain hurricane strength as it travels the Gulf of Mexico.
