Cyclone Belal inflicts terror in France’s Réunion Island

Tuesday, January 16, 2024

Tropical cyclone Belal destroyed much of the island of Réunion recently, taking many homes without electricity and leaving at least one person dead.

Extreme flash floods were caused by Cyclone Belal’s heavy rains that arrived in Port Louis, the capital of Mauritius, on Monday. People had to flee from their submerged cars as a result of the extreme flooding, which washed cars away in the streets.

According to Réunion’s authorities, the purple alert—a severe weather advisory—was lifted after the storm’s strongest winds. Nevertheless, because of the persistently bad weather, which includes intense rain and winds of up to 170 km/h (105 mph), authorities continue to advise the island’s 860,000 or so residents to stay inside.

Cyclone Belal’s intensity has marginally decreased, according to the Réunion prefecture. Significant wave heights have occurred on the island, with some waves as high as 8 meters (26 feet).

Numerous residents have lost phone and internet connectivity as a result of the storm’s extensive disruptions. On the western side of the island, in Saint-Gilles, a homeless person who had not sought shelter was sadly found dead, though the circumstances of his death are still unknown.

Residents were told to stay inside during the purple alert phase, and emergency services were also placed on lockdown.

Cyclone Belal unleashed strong winds and rain gusts up to 250 km/h when it made landfall on Réunion early on Monday. Numerous homes lost electricity as a result of the storm, which also damaged tens of thousands of water supplies and interrupted phone and internet service. When the storm approached, the authorities issued the highest alert level, advising people to stay inside.

Fortunately, the eyewall of Belal moved northward, sparing the central part of the island from the worst of the cyclone, which hit the island from the north and west at around nine in the morning.

Emergency services were able to begin responding and assessing the damage later on Monday, when the violet alert level was lowered. As reported by the local prefectural authorities, the cyclone’s path proved to be less destructive than first thought.

While the residents were confined to their homes, a reported death occurred. The deceased, according to the local authorities, was a homeless person from Saint-Gilles (west) who had turned down an offer of emergency shelter.

Next to its barracks, the gendarmerie discovered the body. Still unknown, though, is the precise cause of death. 

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