As Cyclone Chido approaches Mayotte, rain began to fall last night in the department. Many residents expressed their astonishment at discovering relative calm this morning, a few hours before the impact. Although cyclones can be fickle, the dangerousness of the phenomenon should not be underestimated.
From 7 a.m. this Saturday, December 14, Mayotte will be placed on purple alert, the highest cyclone alert level. The authorities have made it clear: the phenomenon will be of unprecedented violence in the department. However, after some rain last night, many expressed their astonishment to discover relatively mild weather at dawn. The expression the calm before the storm has rarely lived up to its name so well.
Since a cyclone takes the shape of a rotating sphere, bad weather can strike randomly, much like the gaps between the fins of a fan. If in several municipalities, our reporters have reported a relaxation of the population, notably with calls to prayer or cars circulating in Petite-Terre, confinement until the end of the alert remains the main instruction of the authorities to avoid taking risks.
As Chido arrives closer to Mayotte, there will no longer be any doubt, with violent gusts of wind, heavy rain and swell throughout the department. There remains one trap to avoid: passing through the eye of the storm, meaning a lull between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. At the center of the phenomenon, we can even find calm weather, see sunshine. Hence the risk: believing that the cyclone is over, when the weather can deteriorate very quickly and especially very violently, since at the edges of the eye is “the wall”, made up of the strongest winds. The prefecture invites residents to keep informed of developments in the situation and above all not to feel sick until the end of the cyclone alert has been announced.
