Floods and landslides in Martinique, 16 April 2018.
© Prefet MartiniqueFloods and landslides in Martinique, 16 April 2018.
Heavy rain, lightning strikes and hail struck the Caribbean island of Martinique, causing landslides and major flooding.

The severe weather hit on on Monday 16 April, 2018. The communes of Le François, Rivière-Pilote, Le Lamentin and Le Robert were the worst affected.

Meteo France issued orange level warnings for the island. In just a 6 hour period, 175 mm of rain fell in Saint-Joseph, 160 mm in Le Robert and 250 mm in Le François, with 125 mm of that falling in just 1 hour, according to Meteo France.



Floods and landslides in Martinique
© Ville de Robert
Schools were closed, roads cut and power supply interrupted. At one point 9,000 people were without power. No injuries or fatalities have been reported.

Local media reported that around 1,200 pupils and teachers were trapped in their school building which was surrounded by flood water. Some were able to evacuate to a nearby public building. All were able to return to their homes later in the evening as the flooding receded.

The government of Martinique said that more than 200 firefighters, police and 2 helicopters were mobilized to help those affected.

floods
© Prefet Martinique
landslides in Martinique
© Prefet MartiniqueLandslide in Martinique
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