As of this Friday, December 13, the prefecture of Mayotte places the island on orange alert. The closure of schools until Saturday was also announced. Local authorities are warning of difficult weather conditions at sea and calling on the population to be extremely vigilant.
All schools will remain closed this Friday December 13 and Saturday December 14 in Mayotte. The archipelago was also placed, as of Friday 7 a.m., on an orange cyclone alert as Chido approached. The meteorological episode is expected to affect the French department of the Indian Ocean this weekend.
In his last newsletter, Météo-France reports that Cyclone Chido is currently located in the Indian Ocean 920 kilometers from the coast of Mayotte and is moving at a speed of 22km/h.
“The system should pass close to the island and a deterioration in weather conditions is expected from Saturday morning with strong winds, heavy rain and possible marine submersions,” specifies Météo France.
Postpone sea trips
The prefecture placed the archipelago on cyclone pre-alert this Wednesday, December 11, not excluding the possibility that the cyclone passes as close as possible to Mayotte. It calls in particular to postpone all sea trips from Friday evening to next Sunday, to stock up on water and food and to return or fix obstacles likely to constitute dangers.
Forty firefighters from Reunion Island and 70 civil security soldiers are also due to arrive in Mayotte on Friday, Senator Saïd Omar Oili announced on his Facebook page.
The scars of the past still very present
Mayotte is relatively spared from cyclones, the last significant one dating back to December 2019 with the passage of Belna. Around 15,000 residents had been preventively housed in accommodation centers but the cyclone had not caused major damage.
Many Mahorais, however, keep the memory of Kamisy, in April 1984, a time when housing was mainly built of plant material. There was one death and significant material damage.
France
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