Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Johanne Prosper
Published on 2024-02-21 09:37:32
As the country is under a class 2 cyclone alert, the approximately 600 residents of Quartier Nazareth – a disaster-stricken area of Tranquebar in the constituency No. 2 (Port-Louis Sud/Port-Louis Central) – are at a loss. “What to do, where to go, who should we turn to?” These are the questions that hang on the lips of the few locals encountered at the scene on Wednesday, February 21.
Their cries of distress: “We are in trouble, help us, don’t put us in a corner.”
One month after this locality was greatly affected by the rising waters associated with Cyclone Belal, a new danger presents itself to them: Eleanor.
In Quartier Nazareth this morning, time seems to have stopped since the disastrous passage of Belal, which caused the destruction of several habitats adjoining the watercourse that crosses the locality. Indeed, some of the completely destroyed houses and damaged fences are still visible.
“We barely recovered from Belal, and now a new cyclone is coming,” explains Mélanie, a young mother from the locality whose house was completely destroyed during the passage of Belal. The work on her modest dwelling has just resumed, and she finds herself obliged to find a new refuge to ensure the safety of her son in case of further rising waters.
“They treat us like pawns here,” emphasized Mélanie, who still hopes that one day the authorities will find a solution to their problem.
Yannick, another resident of the locality who had been carried away by the waters during Belal, explains that “we have just gotten over the shock of Belal, and the water has invaded all the houses here. We have barely recovered, without any support from the authorities,” stressing that a few deputies have visited to provide them with food supplies and listen to their grievances, but nothing concrete has been done so far.
Pressed with questions about how they plan to weather Cyclone Eleanor, most locals respond that they are waiting without much conviction.
Although this locality has a community center, it has been non-operational for a year. “The building is flooded. It’s full of water,” declared Jocelyne, a homemaker.
Approached about this, an officer explained that since 2023, the center, which can accommodate only fifty disaster victims, has been flooded. When asked where the disaster victims of the locality will go in case of bad weather, we were told that they will be distributed to other community centers in the region.
So, as the cyclone approaches, the residents of Quartier Nazareth are left in a state of uncertainty, with no clear plan for their safety in the event of further disaster. Their plea for help remains unanswered, and they are left to wonder what the future holds for them in light of the impending cyclone.
Read the original article(French) on Le Mauricien
