Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Johanne Prosper
Published on 2024-02-23 10:00:53
154 mm of rainfall recorded in Rose-Belle in 24 hours at 4 p.m. yesterday
Cyclone Eleanor, which did not pose any cyclonic threat, caused more fear than harm during its passage over the island, with the majority of public infrastructure remaining intact. Similarly, the heavy rains that were feared, which could have caused flooding, were ultimately avoided by the country.
Despite this, the National Emergency Operations Command (NEOC) decided to raise the alert level to 3 early yesterday morning, with police and the Mauritius Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) teams remaining mobilized in the field.
For the most part, the Special Mobile Force (SMF) and firefighter interventions consisted of removing branches, trees, and other debris that had fallen on public roads throughout the country. In total, they intervened in more than fifty locations. However, by late afternoon yesterday, the NEOC confirmed that all roads on the island were passable. As for water accumulations, firefighters only intervened in one case, in the yard of a house in Forest-Side.
Regarding the capital, the police had closed La-Chaussée, La-Poudrière, and Ruisseau-du-Pouce streets (near the museum) by placing metal barriers. The National Coast Guard (NCG) organized patrols in these areas during the day as a precautionary measure. However, the NEOC planned to remove these barriers on Friday, even though the police would continue to provide regular patrols, especially due to the expected rains at the end of the week.
Furthermore, a little over 400 people sought refuge in community centers yesterday, with the majority (163 yesterday afternoon) in Roche-Bois. Other popular centers included those in Cité-La-Cure, Camp-Yoloff, Surinam, Rose-Belle, L’Escalier, Richelieu, Bambous, Le-Morne, Mahébourg, Grande-Rivière-Sud-Est, Saint-Pierre, Quartier-Militaire, and Grand-Baie. Besides the distribution of water and biscuits, the Ministry of Social Security also provided meals, prepared (with an allowance) by inmates from prisons.
As for private homes without electricity, isolated cases were reported, especially in the South and East of the country. The Central Electricity Board (CEB) teams were working last night to make the final repairs so that their subscribers could be reconnected to the grid on Friday.
However, early yesterday, the North was deprived of electricity, especially in Arsenal, Calebasses, Pamplemousses, Khoyratty, Bois-Pignolet, Notre-Dame, Montagne-Longue, and Crève-Coeur.
Other regions were also affected, such as Forest-Side, Rose-Belle, Beemanique, Cluny, Bananes, and surrounding areas. The peak was reached yesterday at midday, with 19,000 households without electricity. However, this number quickly dropped to a thousand in the afternoon.
On the other hand, in certain villages – such as Deux-Frères, Quatre-Soeurs, and Pointe-aux-Feuilles – the power supply was disrupted due to the collapse of two pylons, which the CEB planned to replace yesterday afternoon. Meanwhile, water supply remained irregular in some regions in the East. The situation should return to normal by the end of the week.
The SMF also conducted two medical evacuations yesterday. An armored vehicle transported a man with serious head injuries to Moka Hospital, from where he was later transferred to Victoria Hospital, where he was placed under observation and in stable condition. As for the second case, it was a pregnant woman experiencing pain and was taken to the hospital in the North around 4 a.m. Unfortunately, the medical staff found that the baby had already died. The patient underwent surgery and was placed under observation.
Crop damage heavily affected
During yesterday’s Crisis Committee held at Citadelle Mall, the authorities reviewed the various impacts of the passage of storm Eleanor. The damages to crop production were only briefly discussed, particularly due to the existing vegetable shortage in the country. The Ministry of Agro-Industry, however, intended to conduct a post-Eleanor assessment in the following hours, with consequential decisions to be made.
1384 refugees in shelters
As of last night, the NEOC reported 1,384 refugees in 35 community centers across the island. Meanwhile, at the CEB level, about fifty households were still without electricity. In the meantime, water supply is irregular in the East and parts of the South, such as Bramsthan, Baie-du-Cap, and Rose-Belle, among others. This situation is due to the accumulation of mud in the treatment plants’ filters.
Eleanor’s statistics
Rose-Belle recorded 154 mm of rainfall in 24 hours, including 117 mm in the last 12 hours
Rose-Belle was heavily drenched during Eleanor’s passage. In 24 hours, this region recorded 154 millimeters of rainfall at 4 p.m. yesterday, with 117 mm specifically in the last 12 hours at the same time yesterday. Grand’Bassin received 155.4 mm of rainfall during the same 24-hour period. In the South, Plaisance recorded 81.3 mm, and Riche-en-Eau 800 mm. Mare-aux-Vacoas received 92.3 mm, while Port-Louis had an average of less than 15 mm, with 11.8 mm at Central Barracks.
At 4 p.m. yesterday afternoon, the strong tropical storm Eleanor was centered approximately 130 km almost due South-Southeast of Blue-Bay, around the point of 21.4 degrees South latitude and 58.4 degrees East longitude. Eleanor passed at its closest point to Mauritius, about 65 km from Belle-Mare around 12:30 p.m. The strongest gusts recorded during the last 12 hours until 1 p.m. yesterday were:
– Champ de Mars: 112 km/h
– Quatre Soeurs: 106 km/h
– Bell Village: 90 km/h
The highest rainfalls recorded during the last 12 hours were at:
– Rose-Belle: 117 mm
– Grand-Bassin: 110 mm
– Quatre-Soeurs: 83 mm.
Read the original article(French) on Le Mauricien
