Martinique goes down in orange vigilance, a shipwrecked catamaran

Martinique descended from a red to orange meteorological vigilance level on Friday June 23, as tropical storm Bret moved away from the coast of the island. Now in orange vigilance for heavy rains and waves of submersion, the island is also in yellow vigilance for strong winds, according to a situation report from the prefecture. State services indicated that schools would remain closed on Friday, while “economic activity can resume with caution”.

Since Thursday at the end of the day, some 25,000 users in 14 municipalities have been without electricity in Martinique, the prefecture said. Wind gusts of 100 to 140 km / h were recorded overnight from Thursday to Friday by the meteorological services. The damage recorded on the territory was mainly caused by strong gusts of wind in the second part of the night, according to an AFP correspondent on the spot.

Four people wanted

A catamaran was shipwrecked off the coast of Martinique at the height of the cyclonic phenomenon, the prefecture said. This boat was found in the south-east of Martinique, 100 kilometers from the coast, the prefecture said. Firefighters carried out “28 minor interventions for falling trees and electric poles” between midnight and 5:30 a.m. local time, according to the same source.

According to local radio RCI, which cites messages received by VHF, four people were on board this catamaran and took refuge in a survival craft. The Regional Operational Center for Surveillance and Rescue (Cross) is responsible for searches. Hollows reached up to 10 meters high in the area of ​​​​the sinking, according to Météo France.