Hundreds are feared dead in Mayotte after the French Indian Ocean territory was devastated by a powerful cyclone.
Entire communities were flattened when Cyclone Chido struck, with winds exceeding 225 km/h (140 mph). The poorest, living in makeshift shelters, were hit hardest by the storm.
Rescue teams, including reinforcements from France, are sifting through the wreckage in search of survivors.
Widespread destruction of infrastructure, including downed power lines and impassable roads, is severely hampering emergency efforts. Many of Mayotte’s 320,000 residents are facing severe shortages of food, water, and shelter.
One resident of the capital city, Mamoudzou, waiting for supplies, said, “We’ve had no water for three days now, so it’s starting to be a lot. We’re trying to get the bare minimum to survive because we don’t know when the water will come back.”
Another Mamoudzou resident, John Balloz, expressed his disbelief at surviving the cyclone. “It was the wind, the wind blowing, and I was panicked, I screamed, ‘We need help, we need help.’ I was screaming because I could see the end coming for me,” he said.
Mohamed Ishmael, also from Mamoudzou, described the situation as “a tragedy,” adding, “It feels like we’re in the aftermath of a nuclear war… I saw an entire neighborhood disappear.”
Another resident mentioned they had sought shelter in a nearby school, adding, “We can still take refuge with our neighbors, and we’re sticking together and being cautious. We need everyone to unite.”
Mayotte’s most vulnerable communities, including undocumented migrants who have arrived in the territory seeking asylum, are believed to have been particularly affected due to the fragile nature of their housing.
The population of Mayotte is heavily reliant on French financial aid and has long struggled with poverty, unemployment, and political instability.
Around 75% of the population lives below the national poverty line, and unemployment is around one in three.
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his solidarity, stating that his thoughts are with “our compatriots in Mayotte, who have endured the most horrific hours and who have, for some, lost everything, including their lives.”
While some French aid and rescue teams have reached Mayotte, efforts to reach certain communities are still ongoing. François-Xavier Bieuville, the island’s prefect, told local media that the death toll could rise significantly as the full extent of the damage is assessed. He warned it could “definitely be several hundred” and possibly reach into the thousands.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who is set to visit the island to evaluate the damage and coordinate additional relief efforts, acknowledged the “exceptional severity” of the cyclone and assured that assistance efforts are being intensified.
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Cyclone Chido also made landfall in Mozambique, causing flash flooding, uprooting trees, and damaging buildings about 25 miles (40km) south of the northern city of Pemba.
The cyclone caused structural damage and power outages in the northern coastal provinces of Nampula and Cabo Delgado on Saturday morning, according to authorities.
Guy Taylor, a spokesperson for the aid agency UNICEF in Mozambique, said, “We were hit very hard in the early hours of this morning.”
“Many houses were destroyed or seriously damaged, and healthcare facilities and schools are out of action,” he added.
Mr. Taylor expressed concern about “loss of access to critical services,” including medical care, clean water, and sanitation, as well as the potential spread of diseases like cholera and malaria.
