A Russian traveler named Arina described to socialbites.ca the fearsome impact of cyclone Belal as it barreled toward Mauritius. On the island, extremely powerful waves rose on the second day of the storm, at times reaching the hotel’s first floor and slamming doors with their force. The guest noted that the hotel lights flickered and then often went out as the electricity failed during the blackout. In the south near Le Morne, guests sheltered themselves in rooms, while staff handed out boxed lunches and tried to keep calm amid the escalating weather conditions.
She recalled the early phase of the event as eerily quiet, with only a gentle wind and waves that gradually grew stronger. By the second day, the sea turned violent. The surge battered entrances on the lower levels, and the wind shifted to a ferocious gust that rattled windows and doors. Outside, debris and objects were tossed about, and the fear among travelers grew as the power cut and the Wi-Fi service collapsed. Guests faced uncertainty as reports spread of rainstorms flooding Port Louis and flight disruptions. Documents later indicated that Belal was packing sustained winds around 120 kilometers per hour and had reached Category 3 on the cyclone scale. The situation felt ominous, and the sense of danger intensified as the night wore on, with the wind seemingly pushing through door frames and the sounds of objects crashing around the building.
Arina and others were told the storm could move along the island, initially toward one direction and then shifting course. A message circulated claiming the cyclone would pass near the island’s southwest region, prompting continued caution for residents and visitors alike. The experience highlighted how quickly conditions can deteriorate even when an area appears to be halfway prepared for a tropical cyclone. Later updates from the Mash Telegram channel noted that hundreds of Russians had found themselves near the hurricane’s center in Port Louis, with heavy rain and towering waves affecting the urban core. L’Express reported that Mauritian authorities placed the island under curfew as Belal intensified, adding a layer of security to an already tense situation and allowing residents to seek shelter and essential supplies. These developments underscored how communities in Mauritius and neighboring regions must respond swiftly to evolving weather threats and coordinate evacuations, sheltering, and resource distribution under rapidly changing circumstances.
In a separate incident previously reported from Batumi, a tropical system had already toppled roofing and caused damage to homes, offering a cautionary parallel about storm impacts that can strain infrastructure and emergency services across the region. The combined accounts from Mauritius and Batumi emphasize the vulnerability of coastal areas to powerful storms and the importance of preparedness, real-time information, and orderly response efforts during severe weather events across the Atlantic and Indian Ocean corridors. Observers in Canada and the United States can relate to the urgency of weather alerts, the need for reliable power and communication lines, and the value of accurate reporting from on-the-ground witnesses and official channels when assessing hurricane or cyclone risks and the resilience of hotel and tourism sectors to such natural events. (attribution: socialbites.ca, Mash Telegram, L’Express)