Cyclone Belal: Swiss report from Mauritius

Cyclone Belal is currently raging in the Indian Ocean. The islands of La Réunion and Mauritius are affected. The eye of the hurricane has hit the northwest of Reunion Island, Jerome Filippini, head of the French overseas territory, told France Info on Monday morning. The wind was blowing at a speed of more than 150 kilometers per hour.

A 20-minute reader BP is currently in place for Mauritius, where alert level 3. “Officials advise to stay away from seas or other bodies of water. The airport is temporarily closed. The hotel advises not to leave the building and stay in your room until further information is available.

“We still feel safe on the first floor of the building. The situation seems to be the same now. But the suitcases are packed. We are ready to evacuate if necessary,” continued reader BB. She hopes to be able to fly to Switzerland on Wednesday as planned.

Narada Jurar from Suri is also currently in Mauritius. Equipped with a camera, he takes impressive photos. “The street turned into a river,” says the 27-year-old. He feels relatively safe, but the whole island is in a kind of “lockdown”. “Every door, every window is locked and you never know when you're going to be allowed out again. In a few hours the center of the storm will reach the island and have devastating effects. The storm will be as strong as it has been for years – maybe not for decades,” Zurich resident @narigi continued on his Instagram account.

There has been a massive power outage. Friends and locals have lost their power all day. The internet is still working at this time. He himself stored the goods. “Enough food, candles, lighters, power banks, enough water for a few days,” the 27-year-old continued.

The hurricane hit La Reunion mainly on Monday. La Réunion is located east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. About 870,000 people live on the island. The highest cyclone warning level is in effect for the island from last night until further notice. People are asked to stay at home at all costs. Rescue workers were also not allowed to go out during the worst phase of the storm.

About 27,000 homes were without power, a Filipino prefect told France Info. 55,000 people do not have drinking water. Water was shut off as a precaution.