The odds of two major hurricane strength cyclones hitting Socotra, the dragonsblood island in the Arabian sea at the entrance to the Gulf of Aden, separated by a week are impossible . Major hurricane strength cyclones in the Arabian sea were almost unheard of before the year 2000. Climate change has already been impacting the iconic dragonsblood tree, found naturally no where else on earth, by drying out the soil and stopping the germination of seedlings. The islands many unique species have also been impacted by overgrazing and the growing impacts of tourism and human activities. Now cyclone Megh is making a direct hit on Socotra with sustained winds of about 125mph one week after major cyclone Chapala sideswiped the island with its weak side .
Chapala killed three people but the damage to the many irreplaceable indigenous species is not known. Megh’s direct hit with major hurricane strength winds and waves a week later on this special but battered island is unthinkable.
Just one week ago the northern shores of Socotra were very hard hit by Chapala’s high surf and strong winds.
This isolated Island 150 miles east of the horn of Africa and 200 miles from the mainland of Yemen was already suffering from fuel shortages before the first cyclone. Yemen’s civil war had already disrupted services.
The economy of the island of Kauai took a decade to recover from hurricane Iniki, in my experience, but the damage to the indigenous species was harder to calculate because the hurricane gave invasive species an opportunity to get a foothold in remote new areas. There is no way to know at this time what the damage will be to the species of Socotra but the people clearly are desperately in need of international help.