The eye of Cyclone Belal arrived on Monday morning on the island of Reunion. The prefect of this overseas department-region of 870,000 inhabitants had triggered the purple cyclone alert, the highest level. He announced in the morning that the alert was downgraded to the red level at 13 p.m. local time (10 a.m. in mainland France) in the face of a "more favorable weather situation" than expected. This alert level remains high and still announces an "imminent danger", a first death has been confirmed.
"We can see the light at the end of the tunnel if Belal is kind enough not to be teasing and to have some surprises in store for us between now and tomorrow. We are trying to have an approach that is as close as possible to reality," said Prefect Jérôme Filippini.
Strict lockdown of the population, already one dead
The prefecture nevertheless confirmed a first death on Monday: "The death of a homeless person who had not taken shelter is to be deplored in Saint-Gilles" (west). According to the local gendarmerie, his body was found near the barracks.
The French island in the Indian Ocean has been under strict lockdown since Sunday evening, including for the rescue and security services, which can no longer circulate. "All traffic is formally prohibited for any reason whatsoever and until further notice," warns the prefecture, "the population is informed that, during this phase, there is no longer any possibility of immediate rescue."
If the alert goes back to red, residents will still have to remain confined until Tuesday morning. But this will allow emergency vehicles to get out, the prefect detailed on Monday morning. Reconnaissance will then be carried out on the roads in particular, to check the state of the network. "Be careful, stay home. The State is mobilized at your side," President Emmanuel Macron wrote in a message posted on X.
The island in the eye of the storm
The island is currently in the eye of the storm, when the bad weather seems to be calming down. But beware of misleading signs, warned the interregional director of Météo France for the Indian Ocean, Céline Jauffret: "At the passage of the eye, there will be periods of lull. They are temporary and do not mean that the cyclone is gone. All day long, we're going to have sudden swings of wind."
For the first time in the eye of a storm. The transition (see below) is impressive. But you have to keep in mind that it's going to start up again in a few minutes. Already, this hour of respite does a lot of good... pic.twitter.com/yPD8FDtjcc
— Stéphane Bommert (@StephaneBommert) January 15, 2024
Gusts of 200 km/h to 250 km/h were expected, but they should be less strong than expected. "We no longer expect gusts at 200 km except in the Piton Sainte-Rose sector," warned the interregional director of Météo France for the Indian Ocean, Céline Jauffret. However, it adds that "conditions are still very deteriorated until mid-afternoon, up to 170 km/h on the highs".
Floods and power cuts
The hurricane's wall reached Reunion Island at around 9 a.m. local time (6 a.m. in mainland France) first on the north and west of the island, which were hit by violent gusts and heavy rain, according to an AFP journalist. The mayors of Le Port and La Possession, two municipalities in the northwest of the island, said no significant damage had been reported.
But the rains have already caused several rivers to flood, carrying with them a lot of debris. "0n has exceeded 1,000 mm in 48 hours in the volcano sector" and an additional 100 to 200 mm is expected to fall this afternoon, Céline Jauffret detailed this morning. "In comparison, the flows of Cyclone Gamède in 2007 are exceeded. At the time, they had an impact on the structures locally," commented the Territoire de l'Ouest, an inter-municipal association bringing together the five municipalities of this region.
🌀 The #CycloneBelal generates torrential rains and heavy #inondations in several areas of the #Réunion! The winds were slightly less violent than expected, still 170 km/h at #SaintDenis. (photo via Sud Radio) pic.twitter.com/WOESSSyrxc
— Guillaume Séchet (@Meteovilles) January 15, 2024
35,000 people are currently without water, either as a preventive measure or because they are experiencing local difficulties, and 122,000 are experiencing supply problems, the prefect said. 23% of customers experience a power cut, which represents approximately 100,000 households. In addition, 7% of mobile phone towers are not working.