Mexico has emerged from Hurricane Beryl with less damage than originally feared to its tourist centres.
Heavy rain fell in the Cancun and Tulum areas in the state of Yucatan, but damage was limited to felled trees and power outages caused by high winds.
State governor Mauricio Vila Dosal reported no casualties and said damage was restricted to “only a few fallen trees and poles, power outages, and other minor incidents” and that these “were already being addressed by the relevant authorities”.
All restrictive measures have now been lifted and airports at Cancun and Merida have resumed full operations.
Merida escaped any damage, he said, adding Yucatan’s archaeological sites had reopened on Sunday.
The all-clear has also been issued for the Cayman Islands, with no reports of injuries to residents or visitors on any of the three islands. All airports are functioning and a clean-up has begun across the islands.
Kenneth Bryan, minister for tourism and ports, said “I am thankful that our thorough preparations have paid off and I am pleased to report that all airports and seaports, the Cayman Islands major attractions, hotels, and restaurants have not sustained significant damage.”
Beryl is the earliest-forming category five hurricane recorded. It made landfall in Texas on Monday morning (8 July) and has been downgraded as a category one hurricane but is still expected to cause substantial disruption. It is expected to approach Arkansas on Tuesday (9 July).
Jamaica and other Caribbean islands have already suffered substantial damage with nine deaths reported.