With Hurricane Beryl projected to directly hit the country by early Wednesday morning, Prime Minister Andrew Holness on Tuesday evening declared Jamaica to be a disaster area for the next seven days.

In an address to the nation,  Holness said this decision, which is in  accordance with section 26 of the Disaster Risk Management Act, was made after careful review of the trajectory of the system, the likely strength and impact, the potential threats emanating from that, and being notified in writing by the

The prime minister also announced that an island-wide curfew will be in effect between the hours of 6 am and 6 pm on Wednesday, July 3, 2024.

“This is to ensure the safety of everyone during the passage of the storm and prevent any movement with the intent to carry out criminal activities,” he said.

Holness also advised that an evacuation order on the direction of authorised officers is also in effect for flood prone and landslide prone areas at or below sea level and the areas at or close to gullies or waterways.

“We urge all Jamaicans to comply with notices to evacuate if and when they are issued. However, even without the issuance of a notice, if you live in a low-lying area and the area is historically prone to flooding and landslides or  if you live on the banks of a river or a gully, I implore you to evacuate to a shelter or to safer ground,” he said.

He further noted that the minister with responsibility for commerce will also make an order under section 8 of the Trade Act to prevent price gouging of essential goods during a period of disaster.

Additionally, he said the minister of transport has also made arrangements with the operators of the east west, and north south toll highways to give free access to the toll road between the hours of 6 pm to midnight on Tuesday, July 2, 2024.

“This is to ensure that all Jamaicans who are currently on the road are able to get home safely and conveniently,” he said.

The prime minister said the details of the various orders will be gazetted and published in the media and posted on various government websites.

On Tuesday afternoon, Meteorological Service of Jamaica (Met Service) said Hurricane Beryl has been downgraded from a Category 5 to a Category 4 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph.

In its update at 1:00 pm on Tuesday the Met Service said the storm is expected to weaken even further as it heads towards Jamaica.

Though the hurricane has lost intensity slightly, the catastrophic system is still powering its ways through the Caribbean and is still expected to make landfall in southern Jamaica on Wednesday and is still expected to make landfall in southern Jamaica on Wednesday.