On Sunday, tropical storm Dikeledi approached about 100 km from the archipelago, bringing with it torrents of water which fell on Sunday, particularly in the south. Gusts of wind blew away tarpaulins placed on buildings to replace roofs torn off by Cyclone Chido, which devastated several territories in the Indian Ocean less than a month ago.
Floods feared
The most significant damage was observed in the south of Grande-Terre, where four villages, including Mbouini, were “totally flooded”, according to firefighters. In other localities in the south and center of Mayotte, a dozen houses, made of solid or sheet metal, collapsed or were swept away by the sea or swollen rivers, this source continued. No casualties have been reported so far.
In three hours, nearly 120 millimeters of rain fell in Bandrele (south-east) on Sunday and 95 mm in Mbouini, according to Météo-France.
If the tropical storm has moved away from Mayotte – its center is now more than 210 km from the archipelago – clouds remain accumulated in the sky of the French overseas territory. Dikeledi “will attract the Kashkasi flow to us”, a monsoon phenomenon usual in this season in Mayotte, explained Floriane Ben Hassen, the head of the Mayotte meteorological center, interviewed by Mayotte-La 1ère.
Significant rain is still expected on Monday, as well as waves of around 1.50 m in the North and West lagoons, which raises fears of “possible submergence during high tides” at 3:46 a.m. (1:46 a.m. in Paris) and 4:19 p.m. 2:19 p.m.), according to Météo-France. Wind gusts could reach 80 km/h. Floriane Ben Hassen therefore recommends “great caution in all coastal villages, particularly the south, west and north, around these high tide peaks”.
Emergency services and law enforcement mobilized
Monday, “from 6 a.m., we set off again to reconnoiter, especially in the most affected areas: the south, the center and a few villages in the north,” firefighters told AFP. “We are going to concentrate our efforts on the south, with in particular special services: the Grimp (reconnaissance and intervention group in dangerous environments), the Usar (rescue support and research unit, expert in clearance) and the after-sales service ( nautical service).”
On Sunday, 1,200 gendarmes, 800 police officers and 800 firefighters had been pre-positioned in places deemed to be at risk, described the prefect of Mayotte François-Xavier Bieuville. Eighty emergency accommodation centers (schools, MJC, etc.) had been opened and welcomed 15,000 people, said Overseas Minister Manuel Valls on Sunday evening, to which were added 5,000 people welcomed in mosques.
Barge traffic (local ferries) and the Marcel-Henry international airport remain at a standstill.
The previous cyclonic episode Chido caused colossal damage in December, killing at least 39 people and injuring more than 5,600 people in Mayotte, destroying many precarious and permanent homes.
Degradations over Mozambique and Madagascar
Dikeledi is starting to gain intensity again, with gusts of 155 km/h, and should return to the “intense tropical cyclone” stage in the coming days, according to Météo-France. It hit the northeast coast of Madagascar during the night from Saturday to Sunday, causing three deaths and more than 900 victims, before being downgraded to a severe tropical storm.
The institute predicts that “the Nampula region” in Mozambique “should experience very degraded conditions” in the coming days and fears that the cyclone will hit Madagascar again, this time on the southern coasts, from Wednesday or Thursday.
Cyclones usually develop in the Indian Ocean from November to March. This year, surface waters are close to 30°C in the area, which provides more energy for storms, a global warming phenomenon also observed this fall in the North Atlantic and the Pacific.
