Mayotte is on alert again as another typhoon heads towards the French territory outside of Africa
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) – The French port of Mayotte is under surveillance Saturday as another typhoon heads toward the African islands devastated by the worst storm in nearly a century last month.
The Prefecture of Mayotte said a red alert was issued at 10pm local time in preparation for the arrival of Cyclone Dikeledi, which receded north of Madagascar early Saturday and headed west towards Mayotte.
Dikeledi was expected to arrive in Mayotte on Sunday morning. Emergency workers and law enforcement were on high alert and “everything is being done to protect people,” France’s interior ministry said. It said that Dikeledi may weaken due to a strong typhoon as it approaches Mayotte.
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France’s Ministry of Environment, Meteo, said Dikeledi will still bring strong winds and heavy rain, although it is expected to pass about 75 kilometers (46 miles) south of Mayotte. Wind gusts could reach 110 kph (68 mph), Meteo said.
Mayotte has not yet recovered from the impact of Cyclone Chido, which hit the islands last month, wreaking havoc on France’s poorest department. Authorities say at least 39 people were killed in Mayotte and more than 2,000 injured by Chido, but French Prime Minister François Bayrou warned during a visit to the islands two weeks ago that the death toll could be in the hundreds.
It was the worst hurricane to hit Mayotte in 90 years, officials said, leaving a trail of destruction and flattening entire neighborhoods as it passed. Mayotte, an archipelago of more than 320,000 people off the east coast of Africa, is also home to an estimated 100,000 migrants. Many people live in dangerous slums, which are the most affected by Chido.
More than 100 others died in Mozambique and Malawi when Chido advanced after hitting Mayotte and where it reached the African continent.
Although Dikeledi was not expected to be as strong as Chido – which brought winds of more than 200 kph (124 mph) – authorities expected heavy rain and mudslides to pose a serious threat, said Mayotte Governor Francois-Xavier Bieuville, a senior French government official. in the islands.
November to April is cyclone season in the southwest Indian Ocean, and the region has been hit by a strong series in recent years. The worst was Cyclone Idai in 2019, which killed more than 1,500 people in Madagascar, Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe and affected more than three million people.
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