Heavy rainfall takes Mauritius as hostage

Thick clouds have been playing such a colossal role that this week, too, it has not been sunny for Mauritius. For more than a week now, Mauritius has been witnessing heavy downpours all over. Houses and yards have been flooded. In a special communiqué issued by the Meteorological services at Vacoas, at around 11:30 on Thursday, Mauritius was under the warning of torrential rainfall and thunderstorm.

According the Meteorological services, this warning was due to the moist and very unstable atmospheric conditions that are favouring the formations of active clouds over the island.

“These clouds will cause heavy and thundery showers in the afternoon and evening mainly to the West, over the Central Plateau and in Port Louis. The showers may cause heavy run-off and water accumulation, particularly in the urban areas. The public is strongly advised to stay in sheltered areas during the thundery showers and avoid venturing in risky places as well as at sea.”

A special release from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Center has also been issued. The situation is being closely followed. The public is called to be vigilant because large accumulations of water are expected. Motorists must be vigilant on the road because of reduced visibility and pockets of fog.

Advice to the public

Authorities have underlined the following measures to be taken by the public during such extreme weather:

• Visibility reduced due to fog patches. Road users advised to be cautious on the roads

• The moderate to heavy and thundery showers cause water accumulations in certain places

• Water streams, rivers and causeways may be flooded. Public advised to avoid these places

• During thunderstorms, the public is advised to stay in safe places, avoid open areas and sea ventures

• Make sure all appliances are turned off

• Avoid areas where there is a risk of landslides

• Avoid passages and underground car parks

• Children should not venture outdoors, near rivers and flooded places

Regions affected by heavy rainfall and thunderstorm

Riche Mare: Families affected by lightning

Lightning hit the health center of Riche Mare on Wednesday. People living in this region need to go the hospital for care until further notice. Besides, this natural phenomenon has also affected several houses in the village and household appliances have been damaged. Some inhabitants were terrified by these incidents.

Congomah: A family forced to abandon their house

A family living in the village of Congomah was forced to abandon their house following heavy rains, cracks have been found on the walls and ceiling. Police advised members of this family to evacuate.

220 firefighters deployed across the island

The Mauritius Fire and Rescue Service has increased its workforce in this rainy season to meet any causality. 220 fire-fighters have been deployed in different stations across the island. Alert 2 is still maintained at the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Center. Hotlines 115 and 154 are reserved for emergency calls.

From 12:00 to 14:00 on Thursday, the fire-fighters made four interventions for accumulation of water in yards and roads, intervention in domestic workshops and intervention in cleaning of cement on road at Pont Souillac. There have been two interventions in the East, one in the South and another one in the West. The regions affected include: St Julien Village, Albion Pont Souillac and Rivière des Anguilles.

Between midnight and noon on Thursday, the fire-fighters made 11 interventions. Six interventions were made in the East of the island, two in the North and South and one in the West. The most affected regions are Pamplemousses, Poudre d’Or, Riche Mare, Argy (Flacq), Pont Lardier, Bramsthan and Ville Noire (Mahebourg). At 12:30, eight teams from the Mauritius Fire and Rescue Service had been mobilized to evacuate water from yards, roads and homes in the North, East and South.

Reservoirs fill at 72%

The reservoirs of Mauritius have been well fed due to constant rainfall during the recent days. The average is at 72%, as indicated by the CWA with Piton du Milieu at 100%, followed byLa Nicolière with 83.1 %, Mare Longue with 76.4 %. Midlands Dam at 70.6 %, Mare  aux Vacoas at 68,8 % and finally, La Ferme  with 49,2 % and Bagatelle Dam at 92.5 %. It should be noted that at the same period last year, our reservoirs were filled at only 48. 4 %.

According to the Meteorological services, the weather will improve late at night but there will be still some showers. For Friday, as per the previsions of our local weather station, there will be localised and moderate showers.

A tree collapsed near Loreto College Port-Louis

A tree in the courtyard of Port Louis Loreto College collapsed on the corner of Dauphine Street and Eugene Laurent on Thursday evening. A car was damaged by the fall of the tree. An electric pylon was also damaged. The road was closed to traffic. The SMF proceeded to clear the road.

Traffic jams

The torrential rains have caused the roads, especially in urban areas, to become heavily congested, as people were trying to get back home to their families from work. The long trails of vehicles, that could be witnessed all over the island, led some drivers to lose their cool in this crammed condition. At some places, water has accumulated so much that the roads have turned into mini rivers and the drivers had no choice but to navigate carefully through.