Hurricane Beryl is breaking records as it leaves a path of destruction in the southeastern Caribbean. It now holds the title of the strongest hurricane on record in the month of July. The hurricane made landfall on July 1st on Carriacou Island as a powerful Category 4 hurricane, unleashing unimaginable devastation. The storm has destroyed homes, disrupted lives, and tragically claimed at least six lives. Carriacou, with its 10,000 residents, has been severely impacted, with thousands of homes damaged or destroyed. Countless individuals are now in desperate need of shelter, food, and clean water.

Hurricane Beryl has not only ravaged Carriacou but now threatens parts of Mexico, with the potential for further catastrophic damage. As it moves west across the Caribbean, it continues to bring heavy rain, life-threatening winds, and flooding. Forecasters predicted that Beryl would hit land in a lightly populated region of lagoons and mangroves south of Tulum early Friday, likely as a Category 2 storm. After crossing the Yucatan Peninsula, it was anticipated to regain strength over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico before making a second landfall on Mexico’s northeast coast near the Texas border.

Thankfully, relief efforts are already underway by several Christian organizations to provide aid to those affected by Hurricane Beryl. One such organization is Samaritan’s Purse. The organization is distributing emergency shelter materials to protect those who have lost their homes. Samaritan’s Purse has quickly mobilized its Disaster Assistance Response Team, dispatching a DC-8 from Greensboro, North Carolina, loaded with vital supplies, including tarps, solar lights, water units and a mobile medical unit. The effort is part of their mission to provide immediate relief and support to the hardest-hit communities.

“We started building out pallets of cargo before the hurricane even made landfall and are now on the way with life-saving aid,” said Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse, urging believers to join him “in praying for the families who are in the path of this storm, and for our Samaritan’s Purse staff who will be serving them.”

Samaritan’s Purse is also coordinating with local church partners in the region to provide physical, emotional, and spiritual support to those in need.

Guy Vital-Herne, World Vision’s communications manager, expressed concern for regions like Haiti, predicting catastrophic impacts if the storm were to hit, given the country’s vulnerability to flooding and infrastructure challenges.

As images and videos of the havoc Beryl continues to wreak on the Caribbean circulate around the world, humanitarian aid groups are calling for donations to assist the communities and people who have been displaced or affected by the hurricane.

In these trying times, let us come together to support and pray for our brothers and sisters in their time of greatest need.