Tropical Cyclone Chido struck Mayotte on December 14, causing winds over 200 km/h and extensive damage, leading to a national day of mourning in France. Despite timely warnings, casualties were significant due to the island’s unpreparedness for such severe storms, marking Chido as the strongest cyclone to affect Mayotte in 90 years. The cyclone continued its path into Mozambique, where it further weakened but still caused heavy rainfall.
On December 14, Tropical Cyclone Chido struck Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, registering wind speeds exceeding 200 km/h and gusts surpassing 225 km/h, marking it as the most formidable storm to hit the island in at least 90 years, according to Météo-France. Accompanied by torrential rainfall of 176 mm within just 12 hours and perilous sea conditions, with waves averaging over 5 meters, the cyclone’s impact was catastrophic, even destroying some of Météo-France’s own observational structures.
In light of the tragedy, French President Emmanuel Macron declared a national day of mourning. Emergency response efforts were swiftly deployed due to initial reports indicating potential casualties in the hundreds, particularly among the residents of informal housing in the area. This loss of life transpired despite advance warnings issued more than 50 hours prior, starting with an amber alert on December 13, escalating to a red internal alert later that day, and finally culminating in a rare violet alert on the morning of the cyclone’s landfall.
Chido took an atypical path during its progression, navigating near the larger island of Madagascar, which would typically weaken such systems. However, it strongly impacted Mayotte, with its eye directly affecting the island. Following its landfall in Mayotte, Chido continued its trajectory, making landfall in Mozambique on December 15, where it subsequently weakened but brought substantial rainfall to both Mozambique and Malawi.
Météo-France emphasized the unusual nature of the cyclone’s impact, stating, “The impacts of Chido are above all due to its track and the direct hit on Mayotte. This is an extremely rare event not seen for 90 years. Our current state of knowledge doesn’t allow us to draw any conclusions about the role of climate change on the track of the cyclone and on its intensity.” The Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre (RSMC) for the South-West Indian Ocean reported that predictions made on October 31 identified an early onset for the 2024-2025 cyclone season, expecting normal to above-normal activity with multiple systems anticipated.
In summary, Tropical Cyclone Chido’s devastating impact on Mayotte serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerability of the region to extreme weather events, particularly in light of inadequate preparations for such a rare occurrence. The potential devastation illustrates the need for enhanced infrastructure and emergency readiness to mitigate future disasters.
The context of this article revolves around Tropical Cyclone Chido, a significant weather event that impacted Mayotte, a small island located in the Indian Ocean. This cyclone, considered the strongest to hit the region in over nine decades, has raised concerns regarding the preparedness and resilience of the island amidst climate variability and extreme weather patterns. With the rising frequency of severe storms attributed to climate change, events like Chido emphasize the importance of monitoring, early warnings, and the vital role of meteorological organizations.
Tropical Cyclone Chido has underscored the significant risks that small islands like Mayotte face from powerful storms, especially given their lack of preparedness for such impactful weather events. The cyclone’s trajectory and intensity illustrate the complexity of climatic factors affecting storm formation and behavior. Moving forward, the focus must shift towards enhancing infrastructure and emergency management strategies in vulnerable regions to safeguard against future disasters.
Original Source: wmo.int
