PORT LOUIS: Mauritius was battening down the hatches on Monday (Feb 20) as an intense tropical cyclone approached, with flights cancelled in the Indian Ocean island nation.
“Cyclone Freddy is an extremely strong cyclone which is a direct threat” to the islands of Mauritius, Rodrigues and Saint-Brandon, Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth said.
In an address late on Sunday, he urged the people of Mauritius to take all necessary precautions, stay home and remain “vigilant”.
The idyllic holiday destination is renowned for its spectacular white sandy beaches and turquoise waters but also lies in the pathway of occasional cyclones.
The Mauritius Meteorological Services (MMS) has issued a Class 3 cyclone warning, saying that estimated gusts in the centre of Cyclone Freddy could reach around 275kmh.
Images from the remote island showed waves crashing to the shore and palm trees swishing in the wind.
In its latest update at 1pm local time (9am GMT), the agency said that Freddy was centred about 140km to the north-east of Mauritius and moving west-south-west at a speed of about 30kmh.
“On this trajectory, Freddy continues to dangerously approach Mauritius and represents a direct threat,” it said.
“As Freddy approaches Mauritius, storm surge is likely to cause coastal inundation in risk areas. It is therefore strictly advised not to go to sea.”
It said that it expected the cyclone to pass around 120km from the main island Mauritius in the late afternoon.
But it lowered the cyclone’s classification to intense from very intense and lifted its safety bulletin for the autonomous island of Rodrigues which lies 600km east of Mauritius.
Airports of Mauritius announced that the international airport would be closed from Monday until further notice.
“Air Mauritius is closely monitoring the situation with the authorities and will keep passengers informed of developments,” the national carrier added on its website.
The authorities on the French island of Reunion, which is expecting the cyclone to reach it overnight on Monday, have also gone on alert.
About a dozen storms or cyclones occur each year in the south-west Indian Ocean during the November to April season.
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