On 1 July 2024, Hurricane Beryl made landfall over Carriacou and the southern Grenadines as a Category 4 storm — the earliest Atlantic Cat 4 on record. On Union Island, the government estimated that over 90% of buildings were damaged or destroyed in a matter of hours. Mayreau and Canouan were also hit hard.
Where things stand
- **Power and water** have been restored to most of Union Island, though a number of homes still rely on tarpaulins for roofing.
- **Clifton's harbour and the airport** are open and receiving boats and small aircraft again.
- **The Tobago Cays Marine Park** reopened to visitors within weeks; the reefs themselves were sheltered by their lagoon and came through better than feared.
- **Happy Island**, the famous conch-shell bar on the reef off Clifton, was completely flattened. Owner Janti Ramage has been quietly rebuilding it shell by shell.
How you can help
The Mustique Charitable Trust, the SVG Red Cross and the local nonprofit Union Island Environmental Alliance are all still channeling rebuild funds. If you are travelling, the single most useful thing you can do is **show up**: tourism is the economy.
We encourage anyone visiting the islands to support local businesses and communities directly — every rum punch, every meal, every boat trip puts money back into the hands of the people who live here.