Reunion Island once again on alert.
Météo France places the south of the island on red alert this Wednesday, from 6 p.m. (local time, or 3 p.m. in Paris), due to heavy rain and thunderstorms caused by storm Candice, according to a bulletin released this Wednesday afternoon.
🔴 Reunion Island: #RedVigilance heavy rain/storms in the South and South-East zones.
Absolute vigilance is required next night and early tomorrow morning.
Keep up to date with the instructions given by the authorities @Prefet974
👉 More info: https://t.co/3jJg8OYsLC pic.twitter.com/9sMiMlfXzU
— Météo-France (@meteofrance) January 24, 2024
This red vigilance “concerns this evening, next night and the morning of this Thursday, January 25,” specifies Météo France.
The areas of Saint-Pierre, Le Tampon, L'Entre-Deux, Saint-Louis, Cilaos, L'Etang-Salé, Les Avirons, Petite-Île, as well as Saint-Joseph and Saint-Philippe are affected.
This vigilance also affects the town of Saint-Leu.
The western area of the island is placed on orange alert.
“Locally stormy rains and showers will intensify over the hours, mainly in the West, South and South-East regions of the department,” indicates the Météo France bulletin.
“The most intense episode is expected for next night with accumulations that could locally reach 200 to 300 mm in 12 hours in the high areas, 100 to 200 mm in the low areas.
This precipitation will continue tomorrow but at a lower intensity.
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Calls for “utmost caution”
“On the episode, the expected accumulations for the next 24 hours are between 300 and 400 mm in the heights of the South, hence a total envisaged accumulation of 500 to 600 mm”, continues the bulletin.
Météo France therefore calls for “the greatest caution” in activities and travel on the island.
The Ministry of Ecological Transition itself calls for great vigilance.
🔴The South and South-East of Reunion are placed on Red Vigilance for heavy rain/storms: are you in the affected areas?
Don't forget the good reflexes to have to protect yourself 👉https://t.co/UqPnFqOxLJ…@Prefet974 @meteofrance #PluieInondation pic.twitter.com/x36J292yqQ
— Ministry of Territorial Ecology (@Ecologie_Gouv) January 24, 2024
“The Antilles, Guyana and Reunion are affected annually by numerous episodes of intense rain which cause sudden and localized flooding.
These phenomena take various forms: rain runoff, overflowing of rivers and marine submersion in exposed coastal areas,” indicates the ministry.
In the event of intense rain and flooding, the ministry reminds you of certain essential reflexes, such as not taking your car, going to higher elevations, preparing an emergency kit in advance, moving away from waterways, and avoid swimming.
In the south and south-east of Reunion, schools will be closed this Thursday due to bad weather, reports Outre-Mer La 1ère.
Public transport will also be closed, as will several university sites.
Last week, Cyclone Belal hit the island of Reunion, swept by torrential rains and winds of up to 200 km/h.
It then continued its route towards Mauritius, approximately 200 km to the northeast, where it also caused very significant damage and one death.
On Tuesday, the government recognized the state of natural disaster in several municipalities on the island, which opens the way to compensation for the damage caused by the passage of the cyclone.