Damage “huge”. Tropical Cyclone Chido and its extremely violent winds wreaked havoc on Saturday December 14 in Mayotte, a French department located in the Indian Ocean. During the day, the alert level was lowered from purple to red to allow emergency services to come out, but the prefect had called on the 320,000 inhabitants of the archipelago to stay “confined” et “solidarity” In “this ordeal“. Here's what we know about the climate event “unprecedented”.
An “exceptional” cyclone, not seen since “1934”
Cyclone Chido which hit Mayotte in the morning is “exceptional” because it directly hit the archipelago, explained to AFP François Gourand, forecaster at Météo-France, who recorded gusts which reached 226 km/h. “We probably go back to the cyclone of February 18, 1934, so 90 years ago, to find such a violent impact on the department”he explained. Chido surpasses cyclone Kamisy of April 1984 which until then was considered a “reference” in the area, according to him.
Chido also benefited “an exceptional oceanic environment for several years and particularly this year, with surface temperatures, waters close to 30 degrees and very deep warm waters”, revealed the specialist. This phenomenon, linked to climate change, creates “a large reservoir of energy available for cyclones”he demonstrated.
An assessment “not very easy to do” according to the government
An interministerial crisis meeting around the Prime Minister, François Bayrou, was organized at Place Beauvau in the early evening. The Minister of the Interior said he feared a death toll “heavy” during a press conference. Bruno Retailleau, however, refused to do “a provisional assessment”. “L“entire precarious housing is destroyed”added the minister, highlighting a “dramatic (…) situation”. A crisis unit will also meet “twice a day”, said the minister, who will travel to Mayotte on Monday.
Prime Minister François Bayrou, for his part, mentioned a “situation” Who “crosses several immediate and medium-term risk factors”. “The assessment is not very easy to do“, he added, believing that “The days to come are very worrying.”
“Enormous” damage according to local authorities
Several residents shared impressive images of torn roofs and devastated streets.“With all these slums in Mayotte, everything was razed on the Mamoudzou side and even the tin roofs of the administrative buildings are gone”said on franceinfo the president of the association of mayors of Mayotte, Madi Madi Souf as cyclone Chido moves away after hitting the overseas department. “We have enormous material damage”testified for his part on BFMTV the mayor of Mamoudzou, Ambdilwahedou Soumailan.
Closed until further notice, the airport, where gusts reached 226 km/h according to Météo-France, has “suffered heavy damage, notably the control tower”indicated on X the resigning Minister of Transport François Durovray. The landing strip is “practicable” specified the Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau, which will allow the establishment of an airlift.
Furthermore, more than 15,000 homes were without electricity in the afternoon, announced the resigning Minister of Ecological Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher. The situation raises fears of severe water supply difficulties in an archipelago already subject to water cuts. The hospital was damaged by the cyclone, authorities said.
Reinforcements sent to the scene
Saturday evening, the Minister of the Interior announced sending “five successive waves of reinforcement for civil security” in Mayotte, or “around 800 people” by Wednesday, “with the materials that go with it, the equipment and the personnel, 210 medical personnel initially”. Some 1,600 police officers and gendarmes were already deployed to help the population and “prevent possible looting”.
The resigning Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, announced the sending of an A400M plane would leave mainland France with humanitarian freight and civil security resources. It will be accompanied by a frigate and a helicopter. Communications with the territory were still very difficult. Secours populaire, for its part, launched an appeal for donations to help Mayotte.
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