Mauritius Battens Down as Cyclone Heads for Island Nation (2)

Mauritius closed its main airport and stock exchange as the Indian Ocean island nation braced for the arrival of a cyclone packing winds of up to 120 kilometers per hour.

Tropical cyclone Berguitta is situated about 300 kilometer (186 miles) northeast of Mauritius and heading toward it at a speed of about 7 kilometers per hour, the country’s meteorological services said in a statement on its website. The storm is forecast to make landfall overnight, it said.

“Berguitta represents a direct threat to Mauritius,” the service said.

The tropical cyclone is the third this month to form in the south-west Indian Ocean. Tropical Cyclone Ava battered the island of Madagascar on Jan. 5, leaving at least 42 people dead and 150,000 others displaced, according to country’s disaster-management office.

The Red Cross activated its disaster response team for Mauritius and La Reunion, a French-administered island 227 kilometers southwest of Mauritius that is also threatened by the storm.

“This dangerous cyclone puts at risk hundreds of lives in Mauritius and La Reunion,” it said. “Our teams in both countries are prepositioning relief items to support communities who may need food, shelter and first aid services.”

Mauritius’s Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport was shuttered from 7 a.m., state-owned Airports of Mauritius said Wednesday in an emailed statement. The Stock Exchange of Mauritius said Tuesday it would remain closed Wednesday if the storm warning was upgraded to Class III. SBM Holdings Ltd., owner of Mauritius’ second-biggest lender, switched off automated teller machines from 8 p.m. on Tuesday, citing the weather.