Mayotte placed on red alert from 10 p.m., as cyclone Dikeledi approaches

Already devastated by Cyclone Chido, Mayotte will be placed on red cyclone alert on Saturday January 11, from 10 p.m. (8 p.m. in Paris), in anticipation of the passage of tropical storm Dikeledi off the south of this archipelago. the Indian Ocean, announced the prefect of Mayotte François-Xavier Bieuville, interviewed on the Mayotte channel 1^re.

“I have decided to bring forward this red alert to 10 p.m. to allow everyone to take shelter, to confine themselves well, to take care of people close to them. [soi]of [ses] children, of [sa famille]vulnerable people, grandparents, mothers who are isolated, to ensure that everyone can be protected in this upcoming period”he said, while the island is threatened by tropical storm Dikeledi.

Earlier, the prefect had declared that the cyclone should, according to forecasts, pass within 110 kilometers of the southern coasts of the archipelago. “We even have systems that tell us 75 kilometers. So, we have something that will affect Mayotte very closely”he said during a press conference in Mamoudzou on Saturday morning.

“Nothing is left to chance regarding the arrival of this cyclone”assured the Overseas Minister, Manuel Valls, to Agence France-Presse. He mentioned “heavy and continuous rain” and winds of up to 110 km/h. “However, like the north”, already strongly impacted by Chido, “is more mountainous and there are risks of sinking and submersion, we are also very attentive” to this part of the island, he added. Seven hundred civil security employees are notably mobilized, he underlined.

In its latest bulletin, Météo-France forecasts “a significant rainy and windy deterioration” at the time of Dikeledi’s passage near the archipelago, and announced “very heavy rain which could cause flooding”. However, forecasters anticipate a weakening of Dikeledi during the night from Saturday to Sunday “at the stage of a severe tropical storm, before [qu’il ne] CIRCUS[e] off the south of Mayotte during the day on Sunday ».

“Take shelter”

The entry into force of this orange alert comes less than a month after the passage of Cyclone Chido, the most devastating to hit the small archipelago in the Indian Ocean in ninety years. The prefect asked mayors to reopen accommodation centers (schools, municipal facilities, gymnasiums, etc.) which had been able to accommodate some “15,000 people” during the Chido cyclonic episode. He also asked “positioning of forces, particularly firefighters” in “extremely fragile areas of shanty towns in Mamoudzou, Koungou [côte nord de Grande-Terre]on Petite-Terre in La Vigie ».

Any mudslides constitute “significant risks”further clarified the prefect. “Chido was a dry cyclone, we had very little rain. This tropical storm is a wet event, we’re going to have a lot of rain, we have estimates of 150, 200 millimeters, which (…)on already weakened ground (…) by Chido, risks leading to events of this nature. »

“Take shelter, confine yourself, prepare food, do not touch an electric wire, do not touch your electric meter”recalled the senior official, in addition to the ban on movement by land or sea.

Chido caused colossal damage in the poorest department in France. The passage of this intense tropical cyclone left at least 39 dead and more than 5,600 injured, causing the destruction of many precarious and permanent homes in 101^e department of France.

In Mayotte on Friday, queues in front of gas stations lengthened exceptionally and residents stocked up on packs of water, journalists from Agence-France Presse noted.

Cyclones usually develop in the Indian Ocean from November to March. This year, surface waters are near 30°C in the area, providing significant energy for storms. This global warming phenomenon was also observed this fall in the North Atlantic and the Pacific.