Meteo : forecast of heavy downpours all over Mauritius

Cyclone Ava, which is moving away from our shores, has intensified into a tropical storm. The cloud band associated with the storm has grown in volume. Mauritius will witness heavy downpours all over the island till Friday and by Sunday, the rain will decrease. Around 600 refugee centres have opened their doors to people whose houses have been flooded.

According to Rakesh Seetohul of the Vacoas Weather Station, heavy cloud masses are approaching Mauritius. Heavy rain was expected in the afternoon and evening, and precipitation would be intense on 4th January. “The public is advised not to venture into places where there are accumulations of water. Motorists must be cautious because of pockets of fog,” says the forecaster.

Moreover, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Center has been following the situation very closely on Thursday, January 4th. According to the Center, 28 regions have been affected by heavy downpours that hit the island in a few hours. The most affected regions being Providence, Camp-Fouquereaux, Cité Malherbes, Montagne-Blanche and Espérance Piton.

Pravind Rughoo, the center's Communications Officer, said that in two areas of Port Louis, Labutte and Lecornu, roads have been closed to traffic. “The situation is gradually improving. For example, at Pétrin, a fallen tree was removed, at Souillac stones were taken off a road and the roads can be now used again at Belle-Vue Maurel.”

Riche Mare

The village of Riche Mare is literally under water and the situation is alarming. According to a resident of the region, it is almost impossible to go out in the streets that have been blocked since early Thursday morning January 4th. The football field and the kindergarten are flooded. A bridge is clogged with debris, which caused accumulations of water in houses.

Providence

Providence recorded the highest rainfall this Thursday, January 4th, with 239 millimeters of rain in the past 24 hours. According to figures released by the Vacoas Weather Station, Rose Belle recorded 165.8 mm of rain and Queen Victoria 148 mm.

Saint Pierre

It has been reported that nine shops have been affected by water accumulation in Saint Pierre. One pharmacy has reported a loss of Rs 200,000 of medicines and medical equipment found on ground level were spoiled because of the rain water. Some shop owners complain that it’s not the first time that they are facing such problems. “The authority should clean the drains,” said one shop owner.

Intervention of firefighters

Since 4:00 am on Thursday, January 4th, the standard firefighters have been flooded with calls: several houses in different areas of the island have been submerged by water. Firefighters had to intervene in no less than 25 houses to evacuate the water.

Since this morning, firefighters have done no less than 160 interventions in private homes. The standard has recorded more than 225 calls since 4 o'clock this morning.
Houses and yards were flooded, some roads were impenetrable and rivers have come out of their beds. According to the Sergeant Barlen Moonsamy, the police of all localities would be doing patrols to ensure the protection of inhabitants and would report any water accumulation.