Having been shattered by cyclone Chido less than a month ago, the south and center of the French overseas territory of Mayotte was, on Sunday January 12, struck by torrential rain from tropical storm Dikeledi, fueling fears of another major disaster. After crossing the northern tip of Madagascar, where it caused the deaths of at least three people and left more than 1,000 others homeless, the low-pressure system passed 95 kilometers off the southern coast of France's 101st department located in the Indian Ocean, which has been tending its wounds since December 14, 2024.
As of Saturday, 10 pm local time (8 pm in Paris), Mayotte was placed on red alert, with residents being banned from leaving their shelters and moving around.
Storm Dikeledi proved to be less powerful than Chido, which had left at least 39 people dead, over 100 missing and 5,000 injured. Chido had gusted at wind speeds of over 220 km/h, leveling shanty towns, tearing the roofs off of solid buildings and destroying forests and plantations. Dikeledi, by contrats, was more of a rainstorm. Chido had primarily devastated the north of the island. Dikeledi, meanwhile, affected the south.
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