Â鶹´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Indian Ocean island of Reunion braces for 'very dangerous' storm packing hurricane-strength winds

Gale force winds hit the coast of the Indian Ocean Island of Mauritius Monday Feb. 20, 2023. Forecasts say Tropical Cyclone Freddy is increasing in intensity and is expected to pass north of the Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius and make landfall in central Madagascar Tuesday evening.It's feared that up to 2.2 million people, mostly in Madagascar, will be impacted by storm surges and flooding, according to the Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System. (AP Photo/L'express Maurice) Gale force winds hit the coast of the Indian Ocean Island of Mauritius Monday Feb. 20, 2023. Forecasts say Tropical Cyclone Freddy is increasing in intensity and is expected to pass north of the Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius and make landfall in central Madagascar Tuesday evening.It's feared that up to 2.2 million people, mostly in Madagascar, will be impacted by storm surges and flooding, according to the Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System. (AP Photo/L'express Maurice)
Share
PARIS -

Authorities urged residents on the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion to shelter indoors Sunday as a powerful storm bore down packing hurricane-force winds.

Forecaster Meteo France issued a code red cyclone alert for the storm, named Belal, and said it was expected to be "very dangerous."

"Be careful, stay at home," French President Emmanuel Macron posted on social media.

Meteo France forecast "a strong probability" the heart of the storm could pass directly over or close to the island on Monday. It warned of winds that could top 250 kph (155 mph).

Meteo France forecaster Celine Jauffret said the storm could be the island's most dangerous since the 1960s. "The whole island will be affected," she said.

Prefect Jerome Filippini, the island's top government administrator, warned of possible flood surges at levels unseen for a century.

Meteo France spoke of possible 15-metre (nearly 50-foot) tall waves on Monday.

Authorities advised people to stay away from doors and windows when the storm hits, in case glass shatters. They advised residents to prepare for cuts in power and water supplies and to shelter under mattresses, tables or other sturdy furniture if their houses start to collapse.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

A pedestrian has died after reportedly getting struck by an OPP cruiser in Bala early Sunday morning.

British Columbia saw a rare unanimous vote in its legislature in October 2019, when members passed a law adopting the United Nations Declarations on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, setting out standards including free, prior and informed consent for actions affecting them.

Local Spotlight

A tale about a taxicab hauling gold and sinking through the ice on Larder Lake, Ont., in December 1937 has captivated a man from that town for decades.

When a group of B.C. filmmakers set out on a small fishing boat near Powell River last week, they hoped to capture some video for a documentary on humpback whales. What happened next blew their minds.

A pizza chain in Edmonton claims to have the world's largest deliverable pizza.

Sarah McLachlan is returning to her hometown of Halifax in November.

Wayne MacKay is still playing basketball twice at Mount Allison University at 87 years old.

A man from a small rural Alberta town is making music that makes people laugh.

An Indigenous artist has a buyer-beware warning ahead of Sept. 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Police are looking to the public for help after thieves broke into a Lethbridge ice creamery, stealing from the store.

An ordinary day on the job delivering mail in East Elmwood quickly turned dramatic for Canada Post letter carrier Jared Plourde. A woman on his route was calling out in distress.