Thousands of residents have flocked to storm shelters set up by the government, the environment minister said, after authorities declared a class three alert for the category three Cyclone Berguitta.
The island’s meteorological service said Berguitta was likely to “pass very close to” the Indian Ocean island around mid-morning tomorrow – and warned that gusts hitting speeds of 75 miles an hour were expected by this evening.
The statement said: “On this trajectory, tropical cyclone Berguitta is dangerously approaching Mauritius and represents a direct threat to the island.”
A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: “You should monitor the progress of approaching storms and follow the advice of the local authorities, including any evacuation orders.”
Authorities closed the airport from 7am local time (3am GMT) until further notice.
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Port Louis Harbour, the main port, was also closed. It is the country’s principal gateway and handles about 99 percent of external trade, including key imports for the country’s population of 1.3 million such as food and oil.
Etienne Sinatambou, the Minister for Environment and also head of the National Crisis Committee, told a news conference this afternoon that about 2,000 people had sought refuge in 43 storm shelters around the island.
An association of vegetable farmers told local media their fields had been flooded and that as a result the prices of fresh produce would likely jump in coming days.
Images posted on social media showed several roads in the coastal regions of the island flooded.
About 300 households were without electricity, according to the Central Electricity Board (CEB).
Many residents fear Berguitta will cause extensive damage when it makes landfall, and the island of Reunion was also on alert as the cyclone approached.
Soobiraj Sok Appadu, ex-director of the meteorological service, told a radio station he estimated the cyclone might shave between 1 to 2 percentage points from the country’s GDP.
In February 1994, Cyclone Hollanda killed two people, destroyed 450 homes and caused an estimated £95million in damage when it hit Mauritius, which is 1,200 miles from mainland Africa and home to an estimated 1.2million people.