Floods follow Cyclone Belal's impact on Réunion Island

Torrential rain and flooding have affected the islands of Mauritius and Réunion in the Indian Ocean as Cyclone Belal passes through. Sadly, one person has died in Réunion, where the population of approximately 860,000 people was instructed to stay at home. On Monday, about a quarter of households on the island were left without electricity. Authorities in Mauritius have reported that the storm is expected to move southwards on Tuesday. In Réunion, the storm alert level was initially raised to violet, the highest level, but was later lowered to red. This allowed officials to assess the damage and provide assistance to those affected. French President Emmanuel Macron urged people in Réunion to stay at home and be cautious. Fortunately, Réunion seems to have been spared the worst of the cyclone as the eye of the storm bypassed the island. According to Jerôme Filippini, the region's prefect, the cyclone did not have the initially feared catastrophic impact. The one reported fatality was a homeless person who had been denied emergency accommodation. The storm is projected to head towards neighboring Mauritius on Tuesday. The country's meteorological service has issued a cyclone warning level three out of four ahead of the storm's landfall. The UK government's Foreign Office has advised tourists in the region to adhere to the instructions of local authorities, which includes staying indoors. The cyclone has already brought heavy rain to Mauritius, leading to submerged or washed away vehicles as seen in pictures and videos shared on social media.