SHERYL LEE RALPH'S SON ETIENNE MAURICE'S 'WEDDING IS STILL ON' AS HURRICANE BERYL HITS JAMAICA (EXCLUSIVE)
The son of the 'Abbott Elementary' star is getting married to ABC News journalist Stephanie Wash on Saturday, July 6
As Hurricane Beryl hits Jamaica, Sheryl Lee Ralph's son is praying the storm passes through without causing damage to the island.
Etienne Maurice, who the Abbott Elementary star shares with ex-husband Eric Maurice, is set to tie the knot with ABC News journalist Stephanie Wash on Saturday, July 6.
But after battering Grenada, the category 4 hurricane has reached Jamaica, with CNN reporting on Wednesday, July 3 that it is "expected to spread across much more of the country over the next few hours."
However, Maurice, 32, and Wash exclusively tell PEOPLE that they're planning to weather the storm and carry on with their ceremony this weekend.
"We are praying this hurricane passes, everyone remains safe, and there's no destruction to the island," the couple says. "This hurricane was unexpected and unprecedented. Once we're through this challenge, we know we can get through anything together."
"For now the wedding is still on for Saturday, but we are monitoring things closely," Maurice and Wash continue, adding, "Understandably, we lost a number of guests whose flights were canceled coming from the states and globally."
The couple's update comes after Ralph, 67, posted a video on X (formerly known as Twitter) in the early morning hours on Wednesday, sharing an update on what the weather was looking like as they braced for hurricane's impact.
"From the looks of the sky, it looks like Beryl is gonna be here much sooner than the news keeps saying," the Emmy winner said as she looked out a window. "So it’s very calm here in Jamaica, the sky is so beautifully clear. And they said that the sea looked like glass today."
Ralph shared that she took in "all of the outside furniture because you know, those things take flight," as she encouraged others to "please stay inside," follow the island's curfew and "stay off the road."
"I hope you've put oil in your lamp and are taking extra care," she continued. "So to everybody that’s here on the island, we remember that Gilbert was a 3 and Beryl is a 4. Wow. God bless you, goodnight."
She captioned the post, "Good night from Jamaica 🇯🇲 Pray for us as you pray for others."
Related: Sheryl Lee Ralph Celebrates Son Etienne's Engagement: 'I'm So Inspired, I Love It'
According to the National Weather Service (NWS), "Devastating hurricane-force winds, life-threatening storm surge and damaging waves are expected" as Beryl continues on its path over Jamaica before heading toward Cayman Islands later this evening.
The threatening weather is a dramatic change from the days before, when Maurice posted on his Instagram Stories on July 2 that he was "taking a walk" on a sunny day in Kingston and the weather was "beautiful."
"Hopefully Hurricane Beryl is not gonna be as bad as people are thinking, but this will pass," he said in the video. "Disappointed that some people aren't gonna make it to the wedding, but you know, such is life. It's gonna keep going. And we're getting married on Saturday. So, that being said, Happily Mauriced is still in full effect. Whoever will be here, will be here. Ain't nothing I can do, I'm leaving it in God's hands."
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As the country prepared for Beryl's arrival this week, Jamaica's two major airports — Norman Manley International (KIN) in Kingston and Sangster International (MBJ) in Montego Bay — closed on Tuesday, forcing airlines to cancel flights in and out of the area. Travel + Leisure reported that they "will remain closed through at least Thursday morning."
Per the NWS, Beryl is expected to continue on to Cayman Islands before heading towards Mexico later this week. "Hurricane warnings are also in effect for parts of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, including Costa Maya, Tulum, Cozumel and Cancún," NWS said.
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2024-07-03T19:00:56Z dg43tfdfdgfd