Cyclone Chido, approaching, threatens the archipelago, placed on red alert by Météo-France

The inhabitants of Mayotte are preparing for the passage of Chido, an intense tropical cyclone which is preparing to sweep away, Saturday, December 14, early in the morning, the archipelago in the Indian Ocean, placed on red alert. “This is a serious time. Mayotte has never experienced such a situation”declared the president of the departmental council, Ben Issa Ousseni, on Friday.

At the start of the night (local time), the cyclone was approximately 230 kilometers northeast of Mayotte according to the latest Météo-France bulletin. It should touch “at the end of the night” Mayotte and unleash “destructive or even devastating winds”. The red alert came into force at 10 p.m. (8 p.m. in Paris) on the archipelago.

At the end of the night from Friday to Saturday, Météo-France forecasts in Mayotte “violent gusts of wind, intense rain, submersive waves coupled with a rise in the sea”weather conditions that cause “a risk of runoff and flooding, and sea swell which can have significant effects on the coastline”specified the prefect of Mayotte, François-Xavier Bieuville. “This is an unprecedented event, extremely violent, the winds could exceed 180 km/h”he stressed during a press conference.

Concomitantly with the red alert, traffic was prohibited on the public roads of the two islands, Grande-Terre and Petite-Terre, and Dzaoudzi airport closed at 8 p.m. (6 p.m. in Paris). The Regional Health Agency (ARS) asks patients to “do not travel but call 15”and adds that “Medical resources have been strengthened to care for injured or sick people”.

A third of the population particularly threatened

The local prefecture, on the social network “confined in a solid dwelling, with a suitable stock of water and food available”. To those who live in precarious housing, of which there are many in the poorest department in France, the prefect advised to join one of the 71 accommodation centers “open to all” in schools and gymnasiums.

The priority concerns are the approximately 100,000 people living in “unsound dwellings” which were identified by the authorities, out of a total population estimated at 320,000 inhabitants in the archipelago. In addition to the broadcast of an SMS alert by the authorities, “the municipal police went to each village”declared the prefect, particularly in difficult-to-access neighborhoods.

“The priority is to keep people safe”assures the mayor of Chiconi, Madi Ousseni Mohamadi, who is preparing the college in his commune – closed Friday and Saturday like all educational establishments in the archipelago – to welcome the population. The mayor of this town which borders the coast has also deployed agents to “clear the roadsides of elements that could fly away and cause damage”like car wrecks.

110 civil security professionals sent from Reunion Island

The resigning Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau participated in a situation update at the operational center for interministerial crisis management in Paris, confirming the sending to Mayotte of 110 civil security professionals from the island of Reunion. “I ask the population to respect the instructions of the authorities”he wrote on

In neighboring Comoros, an orange level cyclone alert has been activated. The general directorate of civil security has ordered the closure of airports from Friday 6 p.m. (4 p.m. in Paris) “due to extreme weather conditions”. In Madagascar, the eye of the cyclone approached about a hundred kilometers from the north of the island and caused rain “abundant in the afternoon” as well as a “strong wind” before walking away, according to authorities.