The "monster" has arrived; "The destruction is enormous"; The dead are counted PHOTO/VIDEO

Three people died in Grenada, one in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, while two died in northern Venezuela, where five people are missing, officials said.

A hurricane warning is in effect for Jamaica, as well as the Cayman Islands - Grand Cayman, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac.

Beryl has weakened but is still forecast to be near hurricane strength when it passes near or over Jamaica today, near the Cayman Islands on Thursday and over Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula on Friday, the US National Hurricane Center said.

Almost every building on Union Island, which is part of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, was leveled to the ground or severely damaged after the powerful hurricane.

"The island is in a terrible state after Beryl passed. Almost everyone is homeless. Hardly any buildings are left standing. Houses are flattened, streets are blocked, electricity poles are lying in the streets," said Katrina Coy, who was taken aback by the scale of the destruction that was before her.

Fisherman and guide Sebastien agreed with her.

"Everything is lost. I have nowhere to live right now," he said.

"It's like a tornado passed through here. 90 percent of the island was wiped out. I took shelter with my wife and daughters and, to tell you the truth, I wasn't sure we were going to get out at all," he added, according to the BBC.

He promised to act as quickly as possible to tackle a long list of priorities.

Beryl made landfall on Monday as a Category 4 hurricane, with winds of 150 mph (240 km/h).

Thousands of people are still without electricity, and many are in temporary shelters.