Cyclone Chido Devastates Mayotte

Cyclone Chido Devastates Mayotte

Sub: Geo

Sec: Climatology

Why in News

• Cyclone Chido, a category 4 storm, struck Mayotte, a French overseas territory in the Indian Ocean, causing unprecedented destruction and leaving hundreds feared dead.

About Cyclone Chido:

• Category: 4 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, indicating wind speeds exceeding 220 km/h (136 mph).
• Impact Zone: Mayotte, an archipelago located between Madagascar and the African continent, with a population of over 320,000 residents and an estimated 100,000 migrants.
• The strongest cyclone to hit Mayotte since the 1930s.
• 70% of the population gravely affected.
• Mamoudzou (Capital): Total destruction of schools, hospitals, offices, and homes.
• Extensive damage to Mayotte’s sole airport, leaving some areas inaccessible to emergency teams.

Tropical Cyclones:

• Tropical cyclones are violent storms that originate over oceans in tropical areas and move over to the coastal areas bringing about large-scale destruction due to violent winds, very heavy rainfall and storm surge.
• They are irregular wind movements involving closed circulation of air around a low-pressure centre. This closed air circulation is a result of rapid upward movement of hot air which is subjected to Coriolis force.
• A characteristic feature of tropical cyclones is the eye, a central region of clear skies, warm temperatures, and low atmospheric pressure.

Conditions favourable for Tropical Cyclone formation:

• Large sea surface with temperature higher than 27°C.
• Presence of the Coriolis force enough to create a cyclonic vortex.
• Small variations in the vertical wind speed.
• A pre-existing weak low-pressure area or low-level-cyclonic circulation.
• Upper divergence above the sea level system.

Name of Tropical cyclones in different regions:

• Atlantic: Hurricanes
• Western Pacific and South China Sea: Typhoons
• Western Australia: Willy-Willies
• Indian Ocean: Cyclones

Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale:

• The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale is a 1 to 5 categorization based on a hurricane’s sustained wind speeds, estimating potential property damage.
• Categories:
  • Category 1: Wind speeds of 74-95 mph (119-153 km/h); causes minimal damage.
  • Category 2: Wind speeds of 96-110 mph (154-177 km/h); leads to moderate damage.
  • Category 3: Wind speeds of 111-129 mph (178-208 km/h); results in devastating damage.
  • Category 4: Wind speeds of 130-156 mph (209-251 km/h); causes catastrophic damage.
  • Category 5: Wind speeds exceeding 157 mph (252 km/h); leads to catastrophic damage.

Mayotte:

• Mayotte is a French overseas department located in the Indian Ocean, between Madagascar and the coast of Mozambique.
• The territory comprises two main islands, Grande-Terre and Petite-Terre, along with several smaller islets.
• Approximately 321,000 residents, with a significant portion being Muslim.
• Mayotte became an overseas department of France in 2011, making it part of the European Union.
• Cultivation of crops like vanilla, coffee, and fragrant plants.