Video of Dogs Trapped on Floating Debris During Hurricane Beryl Goes Viral

A video of stray dogs trapped on floating debris as Hurricane Beryl slammed Jamaica on Wednesday has gone viral.

Beryl strengthened into a hurricane on Saturday, becoming June’s easternmost major hurricane in the Atlantic. The storm underwent rapid intensification and became a Category 4 hurricane as soon as its wind speeds reached 130 mph. The system temporarily weakened to a Category 3 before strengthening again, with maximum winds documented at 150 mph when it made landfall in the Windward Islands on Monday morning.

At one point, Hurricane Beryl was categorized as a Category 5, but it has since weakened again to a Category 3, with wind speeds at 115 mph. The storm has killed at least seven people, according to the Associated Press.

The storm made landfall in Jamaica on Wednesday as a Category 4, bringing heavy rains and hurricane-force winds that contributed to debris flows. One livestream video captured a pack of stray dogs clustered on a raft of debris floating down floodwaters. As of Thursday afternoon, the video has received more than 1 million views.

“Was watching a live stream of Hurricane Beryl in #Jamaica and I wasn’t expecting to see this …” another account posted to X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday night.

“Video from Jamaica yesterday during the passage of hurricane Beryl. Poor dogs,” one account posted on X.

“Stray dogs riding waves of rubbish in a flooded gully during #HurricaneBeryl in Jamaica. #MonitoringBeryl,” Jamaica Live, a Jamaican media organization, posted on X with the video.

The footage shows a cascade of debris rushing down floodwaters. Several seconds into the video, a collection of debris passes by, upon which several dogs are standing as driving rains continued to pound the area. It is unclear if the dogs were rescued. Newsweek reached out to Jamaica Live via email for comment on Thursday.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Jamaican Information Service published a post on X, reminding pet owners on actions they should take in advance of the storm’s arrival.

“The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) is reminding everyone to check in with their friends, family, elderly, and those with disabilities,” the post said. “ODPEM also advises being mindful of your pets’ needs and ensuring you have all necessary supplies, the post said. “Please note that shelters do not accept household pets.”

Beryl is the first hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season and the second named storm. Tropical Storm Alberto made landfall in Mexico on the morning of June 20. Shortly after Beryl formed, the third named storm of the season—Tropical Storm Chris—formed quickly on Sunday night. Chris made landfall in Mexico that night, with wind speeds around 40 mph. It has since dissolved.

Multiple agencies, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), have issued forecasts warning that 2024 will be an exceptionally strong year for hurricanes.

NOAA anticipates from 17 to 25 named storms for an above-average hurricane season. Of the 25, from eight to 13 will be hurricanes, and from four to seven will be major ones. The forecast number of named storms, hurricanes and major hurricanes is the highest NOAA has ever issued in a May outlook.

Several factors are contributing to this year’s storm-heavy predictions, including abnormally warm sea surface temperatures and the expectation that El Nino will transition into La Nina this summer or fall.