Couple Celebrating Anniversary in Jamaica Document Deadly Hurricane Beryl’s Approach – as Hotel Issues Warning

Brian Brant
·3 min read

"I would prepare for the worst," said a manager at their Jamaican resort

<p>FRANCESCO SPOTORNO/AFP via Getty</p> Hurricane Beryl in Santo Domingo on July 2

FRANCESCO SPOTORNO/AFP via Getty

Hurricane Beryl in Santo Domingo on July 2

A couple who traveled to Jamaica to celebrate their first wedding anniversary are now bracing for Hurricane Beryl — and documenting how one resort is working to keep them updated, safe and as calm as possible.

Travel creator Beanka, who traveled to Jamaica with her husband, posted a now-viral TikTok on Tuesday, July 2, showing Sandals Dunn's River General Manager Deryk Meany, speaking about the storm, which as of Wednesday, July 3, is still miles away from land, but unleashing powerful wind and rain upon the island.

"She will be right on the coast of South Jamaica," Meany said in the video. "That means Sandals Dunn's River will be having hurricane-force winds."

Bracing for the powerful hurricane, Meany shared that their top priority would be making sure that all guests and staff are safe. "I would prepare for the worst," the manager said. "That we could have a tide increase of nine feet. That means the beach becomes the pool."

Alongside the post, the TikToker said that Sandals "has been very kind and through with updating us but it is very scary."

Related: How Do Tropical Storms and Hurricanes Get Their Names? What to Know

The TikToker, who did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment, continued to provide updates from the scene on Wednesday, July 3, including a view of the windy beach from inside their hotel room and another from Meany, who provided the latest stats about Beryl.

In a statement to PEOPLE, Maggie Rivera, a spokesperson for Sandals Resorts, says that videos circulating online "are a real representation of the care and expertise that team members bring to these moments."

"Anticipating a hurricane is stressful, for guests and for team members, but thoughtful preparation — from meetings with the general managers, consistent communication to on-site generators — has a calming effect. People know that they are cared for, that their best interests are taken into account," Rivera added. "That feeling — that all has been done to come through this together safely is so much a part of the planning and something our guests appreciate."

<p>Joe Raedle/Getty</p> Storm clouds in Kingston, Jamaica, as Hurricane Beryl approaches on July 3

Joe Raedle/Getty

Storm clouds in Kingston, Jamaica, as Hurricane Beryl approaches on July 3

Related: NOAA Predicts 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season Will Be More Active Than Normal — Here's Why

All three of Jamaica’s international airports are closed on July 3, as Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness declared a “major disaster area,” NPR reported.

In addition, there is an island-wide curfew from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time based on Beryl's “strength, path and potential threat," per the outlet.

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As of a 2 p.m. EST advisory by the National Hurricane Center, Beryl has max sustained winds of 140 mph, with hurricane conditions about to spread into Jamaica as the eye approaches.

At least seven people have died from the hurricane, according to CNN. The hurricane left a trail of destruction passed across the southeastern Caribbean on July 2.

<p>RICARDO MAKYN/AFP via Getty</p> Windows being boarded up in Jamaica on July 3

RICARDO MAKYN/AFP via Getty

Windows being boarded up in Jamaica on July 3

Related: Record Water Temperatures Are Increasing Chances of Intense Hurricane Season

Another couple, Alex and Emma Steinke, braced for Beryl's impact earlier this week while on their honeymoon in Grenada.

"It progressed so rapidly that when we started our travel day, it was a tropical storm, and by the time we landed, it was a hurricane watch," she previously told PEOPLE.

Emma tells PEOPLE in an update on July 3 that "some of the workers here at Sandals have expressed that their families aren’t doing very well when we’ve asked them."

But the bride, who shares that they plan to head home on July 6, says that the two of them are "doing well."

She adds, "We didn’t get hit very hard and most of the debris is cleaned up by now; things are operating as normal."

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