An intense and destructive Category 4 hurricane touched down in Grenada and Saint Vincent on July 1, the earliest date on record for a storm of this intensity. Within a few short hours, Hurricane Beryl flattened the islands and caused estimated potential damage in the billions of dollars. At least 33 people lost their lives in the storm. Additionally, thousands of residents of Petite Martinique and Carriacou, Union Island, Canaoun, and Mayreau lost everything, including their homes and libraries. Homes and businesses along the southern coast of Saint Lucia were destroyed or sustained extreme damage. Thousands of people in the Eastern Caribbean are still without power and clean water to this day.