An intense tropical cyclone will hit the Mayotte archipelago this Saturday, December 14. Faced with the severity of the forecasts, the authorities have triggered the highest level of cyclone alert, calling on the population to confine themselves.
Météo-France warns of an “exceptional” danger. The prefecture of Mayotte announced the entry into force on the archipelago of the purple cyclone alert, the highest level, from 7 a.m. local (5 a.m. in Paris) this Saturday, December 14, with the passage of Chido, an intense tropical cyclone.
The purple level implies “strict confinement of the entire population, including emergency and security services and all agents mobilized to manage the crisis”, specifies a press release published on X of the prefecture.
“Do not move”
“Take refuge in the safest room in your home and stay away from openings,” recommend the authorities. Inside homes, residents are asked to cut off the electricity and not drink tap water. In addition, the telephone should only be used “when absolutely necessary”. The authorities advise instead to “listen to the radio”, while remaining “calm”, without giving in to panic.
As a result of this confinement, traffic has been prohibited on the public roads of the two islands, Grande-Terre and Petite-Terre, and Dzaoudzi airport has been closed since 8 p.m.
The Regional Health Agency (ARS) asks patients “not to travel but to call 15”, and adds that “medical resources have been reinforced to take care of injured or sick people”.
71 accommodation centers “open to all”
For those living in precarious housing, of which there are many in the poorest department in France, the prefect had earlier 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 have been 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, “municipal police officers went to each village”, indicated the prefect, particularly in difficult-to-access neighborhoods.
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.
Beware of the false lull linked to the eye of the storm
“The eye of the cyclone will pass over the north of Mayotte between 9 and 1 p.m., causing a false calm,” warned the prefecture, which therefore once again calls for people not to leave their homes under any circumstances “even if the weather gets worse.” calm”.
Météo-France forecasts in Mayotte “very intense rains and possible marine submersions”, weather conditions which lead to “a risk of runoff and flooding, and a 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.
According to Météo-France, “these devastating wind conditions are exceptional and exceed the intensity of Kamisy (1984) and can be comparable to historic cyclones such as that of 1934”.
Forecasters anticipate an improvement in weather conditions “from late Saturday onwards”. The authorities specify that “the purple alert will be followed by a red alert phase to allow recognition of the road network” and call for people to wait until this alert is lifted before going out.
