One dead in Guadeloupe after the passage of tropical storm Fiona
A banana plantation in Capesterre-Belle-Eau ravaged by the passage of a hurricane in 2017 (illustration image).
AFP - HELENE VALENZUELA
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
A man has been found dead in Guadeloupe after tropical storm Fiona brought strong gusts, the equivalent of several months of rain and major flooding overnight from Friday to Saturday.
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"
The flood of the Pères river took away a dwelling in Basse-Terre
", the capital of Guadeloupe, "
and its occupant
(...)
was found dead
", indicated this Sunday the prefect of the region Guadeloupe, Alexandre Rochette, in a press release published shortly after 8:30 a.m. local time (2:30 p.m. Paris time).
“
The rivers overflowed in Baillif, Basse-Terre and Vieux-Habitants and led to evacuations and sheltering in communal facilities for around fifty people
,” he added.
All weekend activities – sports competitions or Heritage Days – had been canceled or postponed.
Most Guadeloupeans remained cloistered and all shops were closed, pending the end of the weather event, scheduled for Sunday morning.
In Capesterre-Belle-Eau, particularly affected by the floods on Saturday, Mayor Jean-Philippe Courtois called in the morning for "
the greatest caution
".
"
Do not leave your home, the roads remain dangerous
", he wrote on Facebook, supporting photos of damaged houses, and while the rain was still falling.
The river came down completely on us.
In Capesterre-Belle-Eau, the night was nightmarish
France 3
Sixth tropical system of the season
Rises of water having reached 1m50 in places, cut roads, landslides ... "
Several municipalities are in a situation of desolation
", noted in a press release the president of the departmental council, Guy Losbar, around 10:30 a.m. local time (4:30 p.m. Paris).
He requested "
recognition of the state of natural disaster
".
This archipelago of the Lesser Antilles is very concerned by the risk of flooding due to climate change.
The state of natural disaster had already been recognized in May for several municipalities affected at the end of April by floods which had killed one person.
Sixth tropical system of the season in the Atlantic basin, storm Fiona, which formed Thursday in the center of the ocean, "
crossed the Guadeloupe archipelago last night, it is now in the Caribbean Sea and is heading towards the south of Puerto Rico
”, in the north-west of Guadeloupe, said Météo-France in its bulletin at 6 a.m. local time (12 p.m. in Paris).
If Fiona “
continues to evacuate slowly
” towards the west and the Caribbean Sea “
while strengthening, without however reaching the hurricane stage
”, in Guadeloupe, the torrential rains “
should still continue
”, several hours, warned Météo-France.
(
With
AFP)
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Environment
Climate
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Guadeloupe