CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) – The French territory of Mayotte A red alert was sent on Saturday as another cyclone headed for the islands off Africa destroyed by the worst storm in almost a hundred years last month.
The Prefecture of Mayotte said the red alert warning was issued at 10pm local time in preparation for the arrival of Cyclone Dikeledi, which made landfall in northern Madagascar earlier on Saturday and was moving west towards ' Mayotte attack.
Dikeledi was expected to arrive in Mayotte early Sunday. Emergency workers and law enforcement were on high alert and “everything is being put in place to protect the population,” France's Interior Ministry said.It said Dikeledi was likely weakening to a strong tropical storm while near Mayotte.
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France's meteorological department, Meteo, said Dikeledi would still bring strong winds and heavy rain, although it was expected to pass about 75 kilometers (46 miles) south of Mayotte. Wind gusts could reach up to 110 kph (68 mph), Meteo said.
Mayotte still hasn't recovered effect of Cyclone Chidowhich is torn through the islands a month ago, causing great damage to the poorest region of France. Authorities say at least 39 people have been killed in Mayotte and more than 2,000 injured by Chido, but French Prime Minister François Bayrou warned on a trip to the islands two weeks ago that the final death toll could be several hundred.
It was the worst cyclone to hit Mayotte in 90 years, officials said, leaving a trail of destruction and making peace with all the communities as he passed. Mayotte, a densely populated archipelago of more than 320,000 people off the east coast of Africa, is also home to around 100,000 migrants. Many people live in precarious shanty towns, and these were the worst hit by Chido.
More than 100 others died in Mozambique and Malawi as Chido moved on after breaking Mayotte and making landfall on the African mainland.
Although Dikeledi was not expected to be as strong as Chido – which brought winds of more than 200 kph (124 mph) – authorities expected more rain and mudslides to be a major threat, said Mayotte Prefect Francois-Xavier Bieuville, the top official the French government on the islands.
November to April is cyclone season in the southwest Indian Ocean, and the region has been pummeled by a series of strong ones in recent years. It was the worst Cyclone Idai in 2019which killed more than 1,500 people in Madagascar, Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe and affected more than 3 million people.
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AP Africa News: https://apnews.com/hub/africa
