As locals in the Caribbean prepare for Hurricane Beryl to make landfall early Wednesday , a Utah couple in Jamaica to renew their wedding vows are among those preparing for the worst.
Utahns Michelle Mannikko and her husband, Lonny, are waiting as Beryl bears down as a Cat. 4 storm, the strongest July hurricane on record .
“We are a little bit anxious, a little bit nervous because we don’t know what to expect,” Michelle said from Jamaica Tuesday.
Michelle said that while Lonny is usually the romantic one, it was her idea to renew their marriage with their our own vows. The ceremony was scheduled for Thursday, but was moved to Tuesday because of the storm.
Resort management at Sandals South Coast also moved the couple to a safer room for at least the next 48 hours.
“They’re going to stock all of our rooms with plenty of snacks and water,” said Michelle. “They’re going to put us above ground, and anyone on the first floor in the main property is going to be moved up as well because they’re assuming there’s going to be at least a foot of water that comes in.”