Cyclone Belal hit Reunion, one of France's overseas territories that span the globe from the Caribbean to the Pacific, moving in from the northwest in the morning with "extreme winds", according to France's national weather service, Meteo-France.
The eye of the storm passed along the northern and northeastern coast in the afternoon and was moving away from the island by the evening, Meteo-France said, as it headed towards Mauritius.
It did not become an intense tropical cyclone, or cause devastation further inland, contrary to earlier fears.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin will spend Wednesday on the island at the request of President Emmanuel Macron in solidarity with those affected and to support rescue work, his ministry said late Monday.
The cyclone "luckily was not the cataclysm we had feared" despite its "impressive" impact, said prefect Jerome Filippini, the island's top Paris-appointed official.
He said a full survey of damage had yet to be completed.
But "one homeless person who had not taken shelter" died as a result of the storm in the western settlement of Saint Gilles, the prefecture said earlier in the day.
All 870,000 residents of the island located east of Madagascar were to remain indoors until at least Tuesday morning, when authorities would re-evaluate the situation.
On the west of the island, fallen trees blocked main roads and several thoroughfares were flooded, an AFP correspondent said.
In the Saint-Gilles marina, a large fishing boat had partially sunk.
- 'Red' alert -
The mayor of the northern district of Sainte-Marie, Richard Nirlo, said the area home to some 30,000 people been "badly damaged".
"No neighbourhood has been spared by the wind and rain. The mayor's office is so damaged it cannot be used until further notice," he said.
The island's main Roland Garros airport, a short drive away from Sainte-Marie, was to resume flights at 08:00 pm (1600 GMT) on Tuesday, the prefecture said.
In preparation for gusty winds authorities initially hoisted the violet-level alert, indicating imminent danger, early on Monday morning, putting all inhabitants -- including the emergency services -- on strict lockdown.
But later Monday, the alert level was downgraded to "red", a move that allowed security and rescue forces to move around, without, however, lifting the lockdown for the general population.
In Saint-Paul, a town of 100,000 in the west of the island, water levels were beginning to drop in the afternoon after flooding in some neighbourhoods.
Power cuts had initially prevented pumps from working, but once the alert level went down, emergency services were able to get them to operate, Saint-Paul's deputy mayor Sebastien Guyon told AFP.
"This helped a lot," he said.
- 'Stay at home' -
Authorities earlier had urged islanders to stock up on food and water and stay indoors for 36 hours. They were told not to leave home "for any reason", unplug all devices, not use tap water and only use the telephone for an emergency.
President Macron took to social media on Sunday to urge residents to stay indoors.
"Be careful, stay at home," he said on X, formerly Twitter.
Le Port and La Possession, two towns in the northwest of the island, were spared any significant damage, authorities said, but swollen rivers carried much debris.
Some 100,000 homes were without electricity in the afternoon, and many had their water supply or fixed-line telephone services cut.
Floods hit Mauritius as tropical cyclone approaches
Port Louis, Mauritius (AFP) Jan 15, 2024 -
Heavy flooding hit Mauritius on Monday as a tropical cyclone closed in on the Indian Ocean island nation after battering the French overseas territory of Reunion.
Images posted on local media showed numerous cars in the capital Port Louis submerged under a brown deluge of floodwater or piled up on the street, as torrential rains lashed the city.
The authorities in Mauritius have warned that Cyclone Belal -- which has already led to one death in Reunion -- posed a "threat" to the remote paradise island.
The international airport announced it would be closed from 4:30 pm (1230 GMT) until further notice, while banks, government offices and other private businesses shut their doors and sent staff home.
The Mauritius Meteorological Services (MMS) said in a statement that a class 3 cyclone warning (out of four levels) was in force and advised the public to stay in a safe place, with "torrential rain conditions" expected in the coming hours.
It said that at 4:00 pm Belal was about 130 kilometres (80 miles) west-southwest of Le Morne, which lies on the southwest of the island, and was moving east-southeast at a speed of about 14 kilometres an hour.
- 'My car was carried away' -
"On this trajectory, Belal is dangerously approaching Mauritius and it represents a threat for Mauritius," MMS said.
An AFP correspondent said rains had caused havoc in Port Louis and other areas including St Jean to the south of the capital.
"When the government closed offices today at 12:30 pm, it created a big panic. Many did not find their cars," said a bank employee, who identified himself by his first name Rouben.
"My car was carried away 500 metres by rainwater," the 50-year-old said.
"This is the first time in my life that I've seen this."
The education ministry said schools and other academic institutions would remain closed on Tuesday.
"The radius of cyclonic winds is likely to cross the southern part of the island and Belal is expected to pass at its closest distance of 70 km to the south of the island early tomorrow (Tuesday) morning," the MMS said.
"Heavy rainfall will cause water accumulations and flooding in several places," it added, warning of a storm surge and inundation along low-lying areas near the coastline.
Mauritius, a country of almost 1.3 million people, is a magnet for tourists attracted to its stunning white beaches and crystal-clear waters.
About a dozen storms or cyclones occur each year in the southwest Indian Ocean during the November-April season.
In February last year, Mauritius was lashed by heavy rains and high winds from Cyclone Freddy, which caused a wave of death and destruction in southeastern Africa including Malawi, Mozambique and Madagascar.
Related Links
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
When the Earth Quakes
A world of storm and tempest
| Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters |
| Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters |
