Cyclone Dina

Cyclone Dina on January 23 near Réunion

Less than a day prior to Cyclone Dina's arrival in Mauritius, officials in the nation closed schools, government offices, businesses, and ports. A state of alert was issued for the entire country, meaning that those at greatest risk should seek shelter.[7] All flights to and from the nation were canceled "until further notice."[8] Across the island, 259 people sought refuge in shelters.[9] According to NASA, there was potential for a 12.2 m (40 ft) storm surge as the cyclone moved over the region.[10]

The first island to be affected by the storm was Rodrigues. There gusts reached 122 km/h (76 mph).[2] Rainfall was light on the island, reaching 94 mm (3.7 in) at Roche Bon Dieu. The cyclone killed five fishermen offshore Rodrigues.[1] Numerous areas across Mauritius recorded hurricane-force winds. On the republic's main island, gusts reached 230 km/h (145 mph) at Le Morne Brabant.[2] A station near the capital city of Port Louis reported a gust of 206 km/h (128 mph).[1] Torrential rainfall affected much of Mauritius during Dina's passage, with a maximum of 745.2 mm (29.34 in) falling in Pierrefonds.[2] This was more than the average monthly rainfall, and most of the precipitation fell in about 24 hours.[1] A barometric pressure of 935.9 mbar (hPa; 27.64 inHg) was recorded in Vacoas-Phoenix.[2] Flooding and mudslides greatly disrupted the public water system, with most people losing running water.[11]

Power and communications across Rodrigues and the island of Mauritius were crippled by the storm, with the entirety of the former and 90 percent of the latter losing electricity. For approximately ten hours, the country was cut off from the outside world, with all communications disrupted. About 50,000 of the nation's 280,000 telecommunication lines sustained serious damage, resulting in prolonged power outages. Repair crews estimated that it would take until January 27, nearly a week after the storm's passage, for power to be fully restored.[12] Widespread areas also lost water on Mauritius.[1] Schools across the region sustained significant damage and as a precautionary measure, all classes were canceled until January 29.[11] Agriculture sustained considerable losses as a result of the storm. Approximately 15 metric tons of flour and 20 metric tons of rice were damaged and preliminary estimates for sugarcane losses across the island reached US$47 million.[2][11] Property damage from the storm amounted to US$50 million,[13] and there were four deaths on the island; three were caused by traffic accidents, and the other was a man who died while making storm preparations.[1]

In the wake of the storm, a special mobile force was dispatched by officials to assist in relief operations.[9] Red Cross distribution centers were set up on Mauritius and served food and clothing to more than 500 by January 25.[14] Despite the severity of damage, government officials declined to appeal for international aid.[13] Although no requests for aid were made, the Government of Norway provided US$10,000 worth of funds to the nation.[15] Owing to the effects of Cyclone Dina and several other meteorological factors, the economy of Mauritius suffered significantly in 2002 as a whole. Annual growth dropped to about 1.9 percent from approximately 5 percent in 2001. The sugarcane industry suffered greatly from the storm, experiencing a 19.3 percent decrease.[16]

A downed tree and street flooding from the storm in Saint-Leu, Réunion.

Due to the storm's close passage to the island, much of Réunion experienced hurricane-force winds. The strongest observed gust was 280 km/h (175 mph) on Maïdo; however, based on the destruction of Météo-France's Doppler weather radar, winds could have exceeded 300 km/h (185 mph).[2] Plaine des Cafres reported gusts of over 150 km/h (95 mph) for at least 15 hours.[1] These winds caused extensive damage, crippling communications, devastating infrastructure, and left more than 160,000 families,[17][18] about 70 percent of the island's population, without power. Some areas were without power for nine days.[1] Additionally, about 25 percent of the island was left without running water.[18] Damaged transmitters interrupted radio and television broadcasts for several days. In Saint-Denis, two people were seriously injured after a wall collapsed on them.[17] Although winds were strong, the majority of damage was limited to broken windows, removed sheet metal, broken gutters, and removed siding. The most severe damage took place in exposed areas at higher elevations or where tunneling of the wind occurred.[19]

Heavy rains produced by Dina triggered flash flooding and many landslides, further crippling travel and forcing at least 2,500 people to seek refuge in public shelters.[17][18] Some areas recorded more than 400 mm (16 in) in a 24‑hour span, notably the Bellecombe resting place (a volcano lodge) which measured 953 mm (37.5 in) in 24 hours as well as a two-day total of 1,360 mm (54 in).[2] The heaviest rainfall was measured in La Plaine des Chicots at 2,102 mm (82.8 in). With the ground already saturated from previous rain events, the torrential rains caused numerous rivers across the island to burst their banks. The Ravine des Cabris reached an all-time record flood while three other rivers reached their second-highest levels, behind the flood event caused by Cyclone Firinga in 1989.[20] Heavy rains occurred in the typically dry western portion of the island, which resulted in significant flooding.[1] Many ecosystems suffered from these floods with water quality greatly degraded and flow disrupted. However, in post-storm surveys in July 2002, it was found that the impact was not catastrophic and the ecosystems would eventually recover. Significant runoff also prompted fears of algae blooms that would damage coral reefs.[19] Numerous roads were damaged or washed out by the floods, leaving approximately €42.9 million (US$37.6 million) in losses.[19] In Lengevin village within the Saint-Joseph department, 35 families were forced to evacuate.[17] Many landslides took place in addition to flooding, further hampering travel and isolating hundreds of residents.[19]

Catastrophic agricultural damage occurred across the island,[21] with losses reaching an estimated €76 million (US$66.7 million).[2] The entire fruit and vegetable crop was lost during the storm while the vanilla and geranium crops sustained heavy damage.[22] Additionally, about 15–20 percent of the sugarcane crop was destroyed. Horticulture sustained about 50 percent losses; however, much of this resulted from lost work hours. Poultry farms suffered about 70 percent losses, from lost animals and destroyed buildings.[19] Along the coast, large waves measured up to 12.47 m (40.9 ft) caused moderate damage.[20] Additionally, an estimated storm surge of 6 to 9 m (20 to 30 ft) impacted the island.[6] Some buildings were flooded, roads washed out, and other roads were left covered in debris.[20]

In all, about 15,000 damage claims were filed across Réunion, with a total of 3,251 homes damaged and about 850 condemned or destroyed.[19][20] Property damage from the storm amounted to €95 million (US$83.4 million).[19] Collectively, losses on the island were estimated at €200 million (US$190 million).[2] Although there were no fatalities directly related to the storm, six people died in various events indirectly caused by Dina.[20]

In the wake of Cyclone Dina's devastation on January 23, then French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin ordered a relief team of 200 personnel to be dispatched to the island. He also expressed "deep personal sympathy" to the residents of Réunion.[18] The following day, the Catholic Relief Services released immediate funds of €16,000 (US$14,000).[22] An estimated 50,000 tonnes of debris was cleaned up across the island, the majority of which was in the Northwest Department, and cost waste management crews approximately €4.5 million (US$4 million) to process.[19] Initially, the national disaster program was slow to react, with funding first being available on February 5. The first payments were made starting a month later. In the five months following the storm, the Government of France provided about €10.6 million (US$12 million) in aid to farmers, accounting for an overestimation of about 20 percent in needs. Based on meteorological statistics regarding wind speed and rainfall, Cyclone Dina was regarded as a 1-in-30–50 year event in Réunion.[19]