The island of Mayotte has been subject since May 2018 to numerous earthquakes which have led to the appearance of an underwater volcano. To deal with this situation, a tsunami warning system composed of 21 sirens will be put into service in 2021 in the 101st French department, announced on Wednesday his prefect, Jean-François Colombet.
The announcement was made after the meeting of the seismic-volcanic crisis monitoring committee, devoted to the first results of scientific studies coordinated by the Bureau of Geological and Mining Research (BRGM) on the tsunami risk in Mayotte.
The most exposed island of Petite Terre
This can occur in the event of a collapse of the volcano's magma chamber, in the event of a serious earthquake or in the event of a landslide due to the instability of the reefs. "It is this latter form, which has nothing to do with the volcano, which is the most threatening. Studies involve knowing when this can happen, what volume of water the tsunami will displace and what wave height it will cause. The first conclusions predict marine submersions from 50 cm to 1.50 m depending on the location, "explained Jean-François Colombet.
It is the island of Petite Terre to the east of Mayotte, where the international airport and the residence of the prefect of Mayotte are located, which would be most exposed to tsunamis.
A public information campaign
The prefecture will also carry out an information campaign for the general public on behavior to be followed in the event of an alert. Traffic signs, routes and meeting places will be put up in all the municipalities, in collaboration with the University of Montpellier. Life-size exercises will be carried out, especially in schools.
A project to create a scientific observatory was also submitted to an international jury. "It will make it possible to know in real time what is happening under the sea. At the moment, there are seismometers which continuously measure the vibrations of the ground and magneto-telluric stations which scan the ground to map it", a explained for her part Charlotte Mucig, the regional director of the BRGM. "In October, we will add seismic-refraction probes to measure the propagation of waves in the soil," added the scientist.
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