Red alert. While Météo-France had issued an orange cyclone alert for Martinique on Wednesday June 21, in anticipation of the arrival of tropical storm Bret late Thursday afternoon, the prefecture announced Thursday afternoon to raise the level of ‘alert. From 6 p.m. (12 p.m. local time), the island will be on red alert. Gusts of up to 150 km/h are expected in the most exposed areas.
“Bret is still a strong tropical storm, its track towards the Lesser Antilles is confirmed. The center is expected to pass between Saint Lucia and southern Martinique. This means that Martinique remains in the zone of strong winds. In terms of timing, the center of Bret is expected to pass these islands between late afternoon, early evening and mid-night. Either a peak of degraded weather conditions over this period, “said Eva Merceron, deputy head of the forecast service for Mété-France Martinique, on Franceinfo 1re.
The prefecture of Martinique has asked the population to prepare for the passage of the phenomenon and Météo-France advises residents to prepare their homes and organize the “storage of food and (of) various equipment”. The rectorate of Martinique has ordered the closure of schools for the day of Thursday as well as the postponement of exams. Inter-island and coastal shipping is suspended as of Wednesday evening.