Mayotte is once again on orange alert and risks moving to red alert in the evening as a new cyclone approaches. Chido’s damage is still being repaired, with many homes left without roofs.
Mayotte will soon go into red alert because of Cyclone Dikeledi, less than a month after the destructive passage of Cyclone Chido on the archipelago. Currently on orange alert, “the red alert will be triggered this evening”, announced the Minister of Overseas Territories, Manuel Valls. “According to the diagrams and calculations that have been established, the south and south-east of the island could be particularly exposed” on Sunday morning, according to the minister.
This depression comes as Mayotte has not recovered from the damage left by Cyclone Chido less than a month ago. Emergency measures have been taken, such as evacuating hospitals quickly set up with tents, which will blow away with the wind, and trying not to leave anything in the streets that could cause even more damage. But the task is far from easy as nothing could be rebuilt and the shanty towns were hastily rebuilt, with even less solid buildings. An emergency meeting was held on Saturday morning in Paris, in conjunction with the prefectures of Mayotte and Reunion. Town halls have been called upon to reopen accommodation centers still standing, such as schools and gymnasiums, to accommodate people who need them.
A less violent depression than Chido
This time, the authorities want to prevent risks as much as possible. This is how Manuel Valls announced that the red alert should be triggered on Saturday evening, while the cyclone is not expected to pass before Sunday morning. According to Weather Franceit is currently a cyclone, but will be downgraded to a “severe tropical storm” when it passes Mayotte: “a significant rainy and windy deterioration”, with “very heavy rains which could cause flooding .” The consequences should therefore be less disastrous than after Chido’s passage, even if Dikeledi raises serious concerns.