Post-Amara: Rodrigues Rises Gradually

Port-Louis goes into overdrive to help Rodrigues to recover from the intense tropical cyclone Amara. Fifty workers Central Electricity Board (CEB) and the soldiers of the Special Mobile Force(SMF) will take the first Air Mauritius flight left for Plaine Corail support to local teams this morning to bring restore the electricity supply on the island.

The commander of the SMF, Khemraj Servansing should also go to Rodrigues in his capacity as Chairman of the Disaster Management Centre. It will assess the damage incurred in the island and Rodrigues discuss with officials to determine the extent to Port Louis can help.

Last night, only a tiny fraction of the population was connected to the grid. The island was plunged into a blackout from 23 pm Friday while Amara approached dangerously. With winds exceeding 152 km / h, especially in Pointe Canon where the local branch of the weather station, electricity pylons have not held up. Especially in the East and South. A Pointe Cotton, poles installed on the new road have slumped because the soil has absorbed an overflow of water, according to police.

Under the power of winds, trees and branches fell on power lines, putting off the grid. At 15:30 yesterday, while the 4 alert was lifted, Rodrigues no longer under threat of Amara, the CEB estimated at 12,000 the number of homes without electricity. Without electricity or Internet, telephone son who also damaged, many Rodrigues complained of being cut off from the world. 

Almost devoid of rain, Amara has caused some damage to housing sheet and May-bells built by the State of which the roof is corrugated sheet metal. At least sixty people whose boxes were damaged found refuge centers available to them by the state.

The Chief Commissioner of Rodrigues, Serge Clair, will bring his team this morning to take stock of the situation. "We will hold a meeting to draw up a first my report as soon as the Prime Minister. Given the holiday season, it will likely be in the first days of January. There is fortunately no loss of life to deplore " said Serge Clair express . He added: "At first sight, the most affected area, happens to be the grid. I saw two broken masts. Generator Hospital Heart-breaker has not kept. I think we should consider the possibility of an underground network between the power station and the hospital. "  

According to Serge Clair, "the cyclone, one of the most violent to have visited Rodrigues in recent years has also lead us to see things differently, think Rodrigues next 25 or 50 years. We need to rethink everything and teach people how to build taking into account any damage and cyclonic phase out small boxes of sheet " . It has also come to Mauritius in the course of the week so that protocols should be reviewed in terms of cyclone.