No major disaster due to heavy rain over the weekend |08 January 2024

The Disaster Risk Management Division (DRMD) did not receive calls to attend to any emergencies during the weekend. 

This was revealed by the chief response officer of the National Emergency Operation Centre, Cliff Alissop, when updating Seychelles NATION on Sunday.

It followed the prediction by the Seychelles Meteorological Authority (SMA) on January 4, 2024 of heavy precipitation across the country, especially in the Northern region, for the weekend until Tuesday 9, 2024, which had the National Emergency Operation Centre within the DRMD on alert.

“The weather prediction was not as severe as expected and it is the reason why we had no emergencies, in terms of landslides, flooding among others to attend to except for a casuarina tree that fell on the highway on Saturday and blocked the traffic. The police had to block the road temporarily for the debris to be cleared. There was nothing that caused major attention,” Mr Alissop said.

Fallen trees in Providence is a usual occurrence during rainy and windy periods, and one of the waterlogged casuarina tress had fallen across the highway disrupting the flow of traffic on Saturday. Since other trees posed a risk, the closure was to avert any danger.

Mr Alissop who was speaking by phone to Seychelles NATION yesterday morning, said that apart from the highway, there were other tress that fell across the country during the weekend, especially on Praslin, but they caused no danger.

He stated the National Emergency Operation Centre, coordinating with the first responders, is still on alert for the coming days in case things worsen.

He noted they are constantly conducting monitoring visits to various danger zones, especially in the Northern region, which was most affected.

As predicted by the SMA rain continued sporadically yesterday morning and became heavier in the afternoon, with lightning and thunder.

Patrick Joubert