Hurricane Beryl, a Category 4 storm, is currently battering the Caribbean leading to seven deaths so far as it continues to rip its way through countries and is set to cause further destruction

At least seven people have been killed and thousands of homes destroyed by Hurricane Beryl as it roars its way across the Caribbean.

The storm, now a Category 4, has razed buildings in its path to the ground as it crosses through countries, heading full throttle towards Jamaica. Locals have scrambled for cover as the storm is expected to strike in Jamaica, with flights to the nation, as well as to adjacent St Lucia, ground to a halt.

Experts at the US National Hurrican Center have projected the lethal storm to pass through Jamaica before heading to the Cayman Islands on Thursday morning then Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, where millions of holidaymakers head each year for the resort of Cancun. The Centre issued a stark warning on Wednesday over "devastating hurricane force winds" expected in Jamaica this afternoon.

Beryl was classed as a Category 5 storm - the highest possible - after wind speeds peaked at 165mph. It was later downgraded to Category 4 after its violent speeds dropped slightly.

Panicked Jamaicans were seen hurriedly stockpiling on Tuesday ahead of the storm. Prime Minister Andrew Holness urged people "to take the hurricane as a serious threat," but warned it was "not a time to panic."

What is a Category 4 hurricane?

The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale is a 1 to 5 rating based only on a hurricane's maximum sustained wind speed. A category 4 hurricane means that catastrophic damage will occur. Well-built framed homes can sustain severe damage with the loss of most of the roof structure and/or some exterior walls. Most trees will be snapped or uprooted and power poles will be downed. Fallen trees and power poles will isolate residential areas. Power outages will last weeks to possibly months. Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks or months.

What is the current path of Hurricane Beryl?

Late Monday, Beryl became the earliest storm to develop into a Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic and peaked at winds of 165mph Tuesday before weakening to a still-destructive Category 4. Early Wednesday, the storm was about 250 miles east-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica. It had top winds of 145 mph and was moving west-northwest at 22 mph, said the US National Hurricane Center.

Jamaican PM Andrew Holness had issued a 12-hour curfew from 6am yesterday (Weds) ahead of the hurricane’s arrival. He said urgent measures were needed after the storm left at least seven people dead and homes destroyed on other islands.

Mr Holness also ordered the mandatory evacuation of large swathes of Jamaica’s low-lying areas in a bid to save lives. The giant storm, which is now heading to Mexico. was only the third hurricane to make landfall on the island in 40 years. Hurricane-force winds hit Jamaica in the early afternoon. The strongest winds were not expected to subside until after midnight.

Jamaican government minister Desmond McKenzie warned: “The next 48 hours is going to be a telling one for the country.” Forecasters had warned up to 12 inches of rain could fall in some places, sparking flash-flooding and mudslides.

American newlyweds Casey and Warner Haley tried to catch a plane home to the US but all flights were grounded. Casey posted on Facebook that Sangster International Airport looked “like a scene out of a doomsday movie”.

Panic-buying of essential goods was reported in the capital Kingston and locals were urged to stock up on candles and batteries. Cars were also seen queuing at petrol stations as people filled containers with extra fuel.

Deon Campbell, 32, from Birmingham, said he was worried about his 82-year-old grandmother Cedella, who lives in Portmore. “She has gone to stay with friends who have a bigger house, but it’s still a concerning time,” he told the Mirror. “It’s unusual for Jamaica to be hit like this, I certainly don’t remember it happening before, so we’re all praying.”

Hurricane Beryl left death and destruction in its wake on the islands of Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines on Tuesday. Grenada PM Dickon Mitchell said 98% of buildings on two of its smaller islands - Carriacou and Petite Martinique - were destroyed. He described Hurricane Beryl as “Armageddon-like”.

Where are the hurricane warnings in place?

A hurricane warning is in effect for Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, and Cayman Brac. Beryl was losing intensity but was forecast to still be near major hurricane strength when it passed near or over Jamaica early Wednesday, near the Cayman Islands on Thursday and into Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on Friday, according to the National Hurricane Center.

A hurricane watch was in effect for Haiti’s southern coast and the Yucatan’s east coast. Belize issued a tropical storm watch stretching south from its border with Mexico to Belize City. According to the National Hurricane Center, there still remains "uncertainty" over the path and intensity of Beryl as it travels over the Western Gulf of Mexico this weekend.

Deadly impact

As the storm barreled through the Caribbean Sea, rescue crews in southeastern islands fanned out to determine the extent of the damage Beryl inflicted on Carriacou, an island in Grenada.

Three people were reported killed in Grenada and Carriacou and another in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, officials said. Three other deaths were reported in northern Venezuela, where five people are missing, officials said. Some 25,000 people in that area also were affected by heavy rainfall from Beryl.

One fatality in Grenada occurred after a tree fell on a house, said Kerryne James, the environment minister. “The situation is grim,” Grenadian Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell told a news conference. “There is no power, and there is almost complete destruction of homes and buildings on the island. The roads are not passable, and in many instances, they are cut off because of the large quantity of debris strewn all over the streets.”