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The Prince and Princess of Wales have made a private donation to the ongoing relief efforts for those affected by Hurricane Beryl in the Caribbean.
It has been reported that the royals are “closely” following the impact of the storm, which has so far peaked at category five winds of more than 165 miles an hour.
The storm is the fastest on record to ever reach category five in the Atlantic, with scientists putting its rapidly increasing winds down to the impacts of climate change.
A royal source said: “The Prince and Princess of Wales are donating privately to the relief efforts. They continue to follow the impact of Hurricane Beryl closely.”
According to reports, 95 percent of homes have been either damaged or destroyed on a pair of islands in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
In Jamaica, roofs were ripped off homes and boats were thrown around in Barbados.
Locals are now speaking of their devastation as experts described the situation as “unprecedented”.
“It’s terrible. Everything’s gone. I’m in my house and scared,” Amoy Wellington, 51, a cashier from rural Jamaica said. “It’s a disaster.”
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said that the country had not seen the “worst of what could possibly happen” and that they were working to take as many precautions as possible to lessen its impact.
“We can do as much as we can do, as humanly possible, and we leave the rest in the hands of God,” Mr Holness said.
The National Hurricane Centre (NHC) still has warnings in place on Thursday for Jamaica, Grand Gayman, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac.
The coast of the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico from Puerto Costa Maya to Cancun, which includes Cozumel are also reported to be affected.
Several hurricane watch and tropical storm warnings are also in place.
In an advisory published on Wednesday, the NHC said: “Devastating hurricane-force winds, life-threatening storm surge, and damaging waves are expected to begin in Jamaica within the next few hours and spread into the Caymwan Islands tonight. Mountainous locations in Jamaica are likely to experience destructive wind gusts.”
At least seven people are confirmed to have lost their lives in the hurricane so far, with experts warning that Beryl could be heralding the start of one of the worst hurricane seasons in history.
The hurricane, which is now a category four storm, is the worst to hit certain parts of the Caribbean in 20 years.
