Algeria announced Tuesday the closure of schools in the vast majority of its provinces for the next two days, as the country prepares to face a violent storm.
Winds of up to 120 km/h were expected on Wednesday in most regions of the North African country, including the capital Algiers.
The Ministry of Education said in a statement that classes were suspended in 52 of Algeria's 69 provinces following the alert "urgent" storm.
Algerian civil defense urged the population to exercise extreme caution, asking residents to bring one "lighting not dependent on electricity", to stay away from windows and electrical poles, and to avoid moving unless necessary.
Last week, bad weather in Algeria left two dead, including a child, civil protection said.
In Relizane, as well as Algiers and Tipaza, entire neighborhoods were flooded last week, and several roads were cut due to heavy rains and flooding.
Heavy rains also hit the Tunisia neighbor, where several people are believed to have died in floods and at sea.
