The red cyclone alert will be triggered from 8 p.m. local time (5 p.m. in Paris) in Reunion, prefect Jérôme Filippini announced at a press conference on Sunday January 14. Due to the passage of cyclone Belal, the population is called to confine themselves from this time until “without a doubt” Tuesday morning, he said. “Each and everyone must confine themselves to a safe place,” added the state representative in this department of some 870,000 inhabitants. The cyclone is currently 285 km northwest of the Reunion coast.
A potentially historic cyclone. “Belal takes the path of a cyclone which could mark the history of Reunion Island”, Sébastien Langlade, head of forecasting at Météo France Réunion, told AFP. With winds “which could exceed 200 km/h on the coast and 250 km/h or even more” in the heights of the island. This cyclone can “do big damage”, alerted the forecaster. Reunion has not been hit by an intense cyclone for ten years and the passage of Bejisa in the first days of 2014.
The island’s airport closed from 4 p.m.. Reunion Island airport will be closed on Sunday from 4 p.m. local time (1 p.m. in Paris) and until further notice, its operator announced. “Flights for tomorrow are canceled”adds the international airport located in the town of Sainte-Marie, in the north of this French island.