BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) — Caribbean Community (Caricom) leaders Sunday have postponed their annual summit that was due to begin in Grenada this week “to a date to be determined” as several Caribbean countries brace for the passage of a very dangerous Hurricane Beryl.

Grenada was due to host the July 3-5 summit, but the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) has been reliably informed that following consultations with the Grenada Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell, and the Caricom Bureau, “it is agreed that the meetings in Grenada later this week will be postponed to a date to be determined”.

“This took into consideration that Hurricane Beryl strengthened overnight to a Category 3 (now Category 4) and will pass south of Barbados and then St Vincent and the Grenadines overnight. From there its projected path takes it near Haiti, Jamaica and then Belize by the end of the week,” the sources told CMC.

They said that airline travel is already being impacted with schedule changes already happening and more is expected.

“Most member states, including host country Grenada, will be dealing with emergency preparations and the aftereffects. The primary focus across the community is preparing for the impact and protecting the safety and security of the people,” the sources said, adding that regional countries are expected to be informed of the decision “very shortly”.

READ: Beryl strengthens to ‘extremely dangerous’ Category 4 hurricane