Hurricane Emily hits Grenada

Hurricane Emily has hit the small eastern Caribbean island of Grenada. The hurricane, which has been upgraded to Category 2 status, hit the island early this morning and has caused widespread damage. It has been reported that many buildings have lost their roofs and there has been much flooding.

The storm affected the northern parishes of St. Patrick's and St. Andrew's the worst and also caused considerable damage to the nearby islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique. No fatalities have yet been reported. Earlier this year Hurricane Dennis hit Cuba and Haiti, leaving 41 people dead.

Last year Hurricane Ivan devastated the island and resulted in the deaths of 39 people.

Emily is the fifth tropical storm to develop this hurricane season. It was the earliest time on record that five named storms had formed in the Atlantic. Emily, along with Dennis, reached hurricane status. Arlene, Bret and Cindy remained tropical storms.

The British Royal Navy, which usually deploys two ships to the Caribbean, has placed the destroyer HMS Liverpool and the tanker RFA Wave Knight on standby. During Hurricane Frances and Ivan last year, HMS Richmond and RFA Wave Ruler were actively involved in humanitarian relief. Prime Minister Keith Mitchell of Grenada had effectively run his country for seven hours from Richmond after his home had been destroyed.