Audience: We just learned that you are in Reunion with your loved ones, is everything okay?
Aurelia: I have been in Reunion since January 1st. As often, I come to join my parents who live here in the winter. We have a house on the lagoon of Saline-les-Bains. I like to come and relax there with my children and spend time with family. It is also an opportunity for me to see Raoul again, the Reunionese breeder who participated in theLove is in the meadow with me. Besides, Thomas is also here this year and it’s great to get together all three and share a piece of our lives. Six years later, the friendship is still there! Still, a cyclone came to mar this beautiful reunion. But in a cyclonic period what could be more normal at the same time…? We entered orange vigilance on Saturday at 7 p.m. and red vigilance on Sunday at 8 p.m., which implies total confinement. Since this morning, the prefect has decided to establish purple vigilance, which means that even emergency services can no longer travel…
Audience : Have you been planning this trip for a long time?
Aurelia: We took our tickets this summer because I knew that after this complicated year I would need to rest and take time with those I love. Besides, I only manage to unwind when I’m very far away…!
Audience : What is your biggest fear right now?
Aurelia: My biggest fears are linked to this purple vigilance. In case of health concerns we have no one to count on except ourselves. I remain confident because our house is recent and solid, but I am very afraid for all the people of Reunion who have aging huts or who are close to ravines. Many no longer have electricity or telephones and find themselves cut off from the world. We learned of the death of a homeless person in the village next door… It’s terrible what’s happening here…
Audience : What instructions are given on site?
Aurelia: The prefect requests strict confinement for an as yet undetermined period. With the orange alert, we had instructions to stock up on water, non-perishable food, candles, batteries for the radio because it remains the only point of information in the event of a power and telephone outage… Convenience stores were taken by storm, because we felt the worry of this extraordinary cyclone which threatened us… It’s quite worrying when we don’t know what to expect, and even Raoul, who is accustomed to this kind of phenomenon , was not calm.
Audience : When do you plan to return to mainland France?
Aurelia: Our return is planned for Wednesday evening, but the airport has closed for an indefinite period… We are therefore waiting to see the damage caused… and we will see how normal life will be able to resume. We are already talking about roofs being torn off, gullies overflowing onto the roads, uprooted trees blocking access. Right now, I care more about living beings, men and animals, than whether my plane will be on time…
Audience : Is there a particular moment that will stay with you forever?
Aurelia: For the moment I have no worries for my family and myself, we are safe. But when we went for a last walk on the beach before the red alert, we saw a man living under makeshift canvases, I was very afraid for this person… He will never survive the cyclone, I told myself. said… and a few minutes later when I came back I saw that a person had come to take care of him and that he was preparing to take him to an accommodation center. If he hadn’t done it, I think I would have done it. I cannot tolerate human or animal distress.
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