The Bottom Line
- This Monday, tropical cyclone Belal, with potentially "devastating" winds, will hit the island of Reunion.
- Gusts of more than 200km/h arrived on the coast. They could exceed 250 km/h in the heights of the island.
- The population was asked to self-isolate from Sunday until Tuesday morning.
- The island was placed on purple alert (the highest level) by the prefecture on Sunday night.
- 2000,<> firefighters are mobilized on site, according to the government. A crisis unit was mobilised on Sunday evening at the Ministry of the Interior.
06:35
Gusts above 200 km/h
According to the mayor of Saint-Paul, winds of 215km/h were recorded last night in the city, according to Franceinfo. According to Météo France, Belal's winds could exceed 200 km / h on the coast and more than 250 km / h in the heights of the island, 200 to 300 mm of precipitation are expected in a few hours, as well as a swell of up to 8 meters (with even higher maximum waves).
06:24
Purple Alert
Since 6 a.m. local time (3 a.m. in Paris), Reunion Island has been on purple alert due to the passage of Cyclone Belal. This alert level, the highest, implies "a strict confinement of the entire population, including the emergency and security services," said a statement from the prefecture of this overseas department of some 870,000 inhabitants.
"All traffic is formally prohibited for any reason whatsoever and until further notice," the same source added.
06:16
Hello and welcome
This live broadcast will be dedicated to Cyclone Belal, which is expected to hit Reunion Island on Monday.