“The wind continues to strengthen,” said Météo-France in its cyclonic bulletin updated Thursday at 6 p.m. local time (22:00 GMT), adding that “the state of the sea continues to deteriorate”. The inhabitants of Martinique, placed in cyclone red vigilance, barricaded themselves at home on Thursday evening, June 22, anticipating the arrival of tropical storm Bret, which has already deprived at least 18,000 homes of electricity, according to EDF.
At the peak of the event, gusts of up to 150 km / h as well as cumulative rain are expected in the most exposed areas of the island. Located 202 km from Martinique Thursday evening, the tropical storm was heading west at a speed of 26 km / h. “The center of Bret should pass south of Saint Lucia between this evening and the first part of next night,” said Météo-France.
Caroline, a school teacher and resident of Rivière-Salée, in the south of the island, “barricaded” herself at home. “At 8:30 p.m. the wind started blowing, for a good two hours, quite impressive gusts,” she told AFP. “We have stocked up on water, food, we have a gas stove, we have emptied the terrace, all the plants are inside, in the living room, and now we are waiting to see the evolution in the next few years. hours. »
All public transport has been interrupted and “the airport authorities have decided to close Aimé-Césaire airport” from noon, according to the prefecture. “Economic activity is stopped and economic actors must implement measures to protect their business or trade and release as many of their staff as possible,” the prefecture said in a statement. “It’s about limiting people’s mobility as much as possible. We are not on purple alert. It’s not a cyclone,” Martinique prefect Jean-Christophe Bouvier told France-Antilles.
At 6 p.m. local time, 18,700 homes were without electricity in Martinique, the EDF crisis unit told AFP. About ten municipalities are concerned according to the supplier.
According to Météo-France, waves of 3 meters in hollow on average and 6.10 m in hollow maximum were recorded at Basse-Pointe, and waves of 4.40 m in hollow on average and 6.70 m in hollow maximum at St. LUCIA. The data measured for the wind are 55 to 70 km/h in average wind and 70 to 90 km/h in gusts on the southern half, 30 to 50 km/h in average wind and 55 to 80 km/h in gusts on the northern half.
According to forecasts, at the peak of the event, the wind will blow on average between 60 and 70 km/h on the northern half of the island, and between 70 and 90 km/h on average on the southern half. Gusts can reach 100 to 120 km / h and locally 150 km / h in the most exposed areas. Rainfall accumulations between 120 and 150 mm are expected, and they could reach “200 mm locally”, according to Météo-France.
As of Wednesday, the rectorate had ordered all schools on the island not to welcome students on Thursday. Coastal and inter-island shipping has also been suspended. The local authority of Martinique launched its Technical Services Intervention Plan (PISTe) as soon as the orange cyclone vigilance was announced on Wednesday.
In 2007, Martinique was the island of the French West Indies most affected by Hurricane Dean: two people lost their lives and some 400 homes were left homeless.
