Tropical Storm Bret moves away from the shores of the Lesser Antilles island. After its passage, the meteorological situation in Martinique, this Friday, June 23, went down from the level of vigilance red to orange concerning the rains and the waves-submersion. It is yellow in color for the wind.
A catamaran was nevertheless shipwrecked in the south-east of Martinique, 100 kilometers from the coast, the prefecture said. According to local radio RCI, citing messages received by VHF, four people were on board the boat and took refuge in a survival craft. The Regional Operational Center for Surveillance and Rescue (Cross) is responsible for searches.
Hollows reached up to 10 meters in height in the area of the sinking, according to Météo-France. Since late Thursday, some 25,000 users from 14 municipalities have been without electricity in Martinique, the prefecture said.
Firefighters carried out “28 minor interventions for falling trees and electric poles” between midnight and 5:30 a.m. locally (4 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. GMT), according to the same source. State services said schools would remain closed on Friday, while “economic activity can resume with caution.”
The damage recorded on the territory was mainly caused by strong gusts in the second part of the night, according to an AFP correspondent on the spot. Gusts of 100 to 140 km / h were recorded overnight from Thursday to Friday by the meteorological services.
“At 8:30 p.m. (local time), the wind started to blow,” Caroline, a school teacher and resident of Rivière-Salée, told AFP, referring to “pretty impressive gusts”. “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,” she added.
The local authority of Martinique had triggered its Technical Services Intervention Plan (PISTe) as soon as the orange vigilance was announced on Wednesday. All public transport has been interrupted and “the airport authorities have decided to close Aimé-Césaire airport” from noon Thursday, according to the prefecture. “It’s about limiting people’s mobility as much as possible. We are not on purple alert. It’s not a cyclone ”, had tempered the prefect of Martinique, Jean-Christophe Bouvier, with the daily France-Antilles.
In 2007, Martinique was the French West Indies island most affected by Cyclone Dean: two people lost their lives and some 400 families were left homeless.