Honeymooners Kept Inside Their Hotel as Hurricane Beryl Batters Grenada (Exclusive)

Alex and Emma Steinke began life as husband and wife in the midst of a devastating hurricane.

The 26-year-old newlyweds, who tied the knot on Saturday, June 15, traveled to Grenada for their honeymoon hoping to go on a trip and relax on the beach, but were met with Hurricane Beryl.

The hurricane made landfall in the Caribbean as a Category 4 storm on Monday, July 1, with winds of up to 150 mph, according to The Weather Channel.

Waves crash against palm trees as Hurricane Beryl passes through Hastings, Barbados on Monday, July 1, 2024.

AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan

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“It was kind of surreal,” Emma tells PEOPLE. “We just arrived in paradise, so it was a lot to process, especially being from the Midwest, where we don’t experience this. It’s also a little scary to be on an island and experience a hurricane! Alex was stationed at Camp Lejeune, NC, for the hurricane Florence, so this isn’t his first, but it’s mine.”

The newlywed says she and her husband arrived in Grenada around 5 p.m. Saturday, June 29, after a 12-hour flight from Chicago for their honeymoon, which they had been planning since April.

Emma Steinke and husband on their honeymoon in Grenada.

Courtesy of Emma Steinke

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“It progressed so quickly that when we started the day of travel it was a tropical storm and when we landed it was a hurricane watch,” she says.

Emma, ​​who shared a look at her and her husband’s “hurricane hatching” “survival” items on TikTok, tells PEOPLE they did “what we could with what we had.”

“We’re staying in,” she says. “The resort instructed guests not to leave their rooms until they said it was safe, so we followed their instructions. We also kept our phones charged and tried to conserve water/food as much as possible.”

Emma Steinke and husband on their honeymoon in Grenada.

Courtesy of Emma Steinke

She tells PEOPLE that while there was “a lot of rain” that caused water to enter their room, it was “minimal” and the desire to enjoy the vacation hasn’t gone away yet.

“It’s still early days for us. As far as we can tell, there’s not much damage at the resort so we’re hoping to get a few more days of sun and be able to experience the island a bit,” says Emma. “We’re thinking that if it doesn’t get much better, we might consider a smaller a trip somewhere in the United States to make up for lost time.”

Emma Steinke and husband on their honeymoon in Grenada.

Photo by Stephanie McKenna

The couple is currently scheduled to fly out of Grenada on Saturday, July 6.

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“It’s unfortunate, but it’s true. We hope it won’t affect our flight, but we’re aware it could,” adds Emma. “Mostly we just hope that everyone stays safe, especially the islanders and the staff at our resort who work so hard for us.”

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Source: HIS Education