As a preventive measure, schools will be closed on several islands in the French Antilles – Guadeloupe, Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélémy – on Friday October 20th as Tropical Storm Tammy passes. Guadeloupe is on orange alert and the other islands could follow, the authorities announced on Thursday evening.
The core of the storm could pass “in the immediate vicinity” of the Antilles at the end of the night from Friday to Saturday, “with strong storm winds, even close to a Category 1 hurricane,” Météo-France said.
“This is not a major phenomenon, but a serious phenomenon,” said the prefect of Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy, Vincent Berton, who called on the population to prepare for the passage of this storm. Depending on how the phenomenon develops, ports and airports could be closed during the day, he said.
The population is preparing
In Guadeloupe, shipping companies offering connections between the islands announced on Thursday a change in timetables and a suspension of their rotation until calm returns, as strong waves of up to 5 meters could reach Météo-France on the Atlantic coast.
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Numerous cultural, sporting or festive events planned for this weekend in the Guadeloupe archipelago have been canceled. Residents rushed to supermarkets to stock up on supplies, especially water. Earlier in the day, traders in Saint-Martin began installing panels to protect their businesses and protect them from flooding.
“We are also in the process of replenishing our clothing stocks. I saw that some people also strengthened the anticyclonic curtains. We are used to it and prepared for any eventuality,” assured Yann Lecam, president of the merchants’ association of Marigot, the main town in the French part of Saint-Martin.