The eye of tropical cyclone Belal is expected to hit the French island of Reunion Island on Monday morning, January 15, which is on high alert and whose population is in lockdown as authorities expect wind gusts of 250 km/h and rivers in flood.

The prefect of this Indian Ocean department-region of some 870,000 inhabitants triggered the purple cyclone alert: the highest level, synonymous with "imminent danger", at 6 a.m. local time (3 a.m. in Paris).

Until further notice, the island is under strict lockdown, including for rescue and security services, which can no longer circulate.

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"We are going to enter the hard part [...], in the most active and potentially the most dangerous phase of this cyclonic episode. Now is when the difficult things begin," warned the prefect of La Réunion, Jérôme Filippini, during a video press conference at 6 a.m. (3 a.m. in Paris).

The center of the cyclone system was at that time about 100 km northwest of the island, said the interregional director of Météo-France for the Indian Ocean, Céline Jauffret.

"The eye will directly impact Reunion Island in the next few hours, cross it, to evacuate to the southeast at the end of the day," the official said.

"A sudden strengthening" of winds "in the coming hours"

The tropical cyclone intensified overnight from Sunday to Monday, and conditions on the island deteriorated, with heavy and sustained rains already flooding some roads and a swell that deepened.

"We expect a sudden reinforcement" of the winds "in the coming hours": already pointed at 140 km / h in Petite-France, the gusts could reach, "at the height of the event [...], 200 km / h on the coast and 250 km / h on the inhabited highs", said Cécile Jauffret.

And beware of misleading signs, the meteorologist reiterated: "When the eye passes, there will be periods of calm. They are temporary and do not mean that the cyclone is gone. All day long, we're going to have sudden swings of wind."

Reason for relative relief, however, "Belal is not expected to reach the stage of an intense tropical cyclone", according to the meteorological services, which compare its impact to that of Cyclone Firinga in 1989. Reunion Island has not been hit by an intense cyclone for ten years and the passage of Bejisa in the first days of 2014.

The authorities are also "concerned about all rivers", for which a flood peak is expected at the end of Monday morning, according to the prefect.

"Be careful, stay at home. The State is mobilized at your side," President Emmanuel Macron wrote in a message posted on X on Sunday.

To the inhabitants of Reunion Island:
Red alert for cyclone Belal.
Be careful, stay home.
The State is mobilized at your side.

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) January 14, 2024

"We carried out evacuations until the last possible moment"

"My thoughts are with the people of Reunion Island facing a terrible cyclone. Thank you to all our public officials on deck to protect our fellow citizens," Prime Minister Gabriel Attal reacted on the same social network.

My thoughts are with the people of Reunion Island who are facing a terrible cyclone. Thank you to all our public officials on deck to protect our fellow citizens.

The Nation stands in solidarity. We are following the situation closely @GDarmanin and @EmmanuelMacron. pic.twitter.com/wZoJvd7gLg

— Gabriel Attal (@GabrielAttal) January 14, 2024

At this stage, the impact of the weather phenomenon on the networks "is limited", the prefect said, referring to 3,500 inhabitants without electricity, 1,600 people without running water and 7,000 without landline telephones.

The shelters set up have not yet been in high demand: some 600 people have been admitted, particularly among the most precarious or vulnerable population in the event of flooding.

"We carried out evacuations until the last possible moment," the prefect stressed, specifying that "nearly 100 people" had been sheltered during final operations carried out at the end of the evening and during the night, before the strict lockdown.

Roland-Garros International Airport, in the town of Sainte-Marie, closed on Sunday at 16 p.m. (13 p.m. in Paris) and all public transport networks stopped at 18 p.m. (15 p.m. in Paris).

On Monday morning, the prefect renewed his "encouragement to the people of Reunion, who are showing patience". "They are taking part in the management of this crisis by staying at home," he said.

With AFP

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