France sent ships and military planes to Mayotte, a small French island near Africa, after it was hit by the worst cyclone in almost 100 years on Monday. Authorities fear that hundreds, possibly thousands, of people have died.
Survivors wandered through streets littered with debris, searching for water and shelter, after Cyclone Chido leveled entire neighborhoods on Saturday when it hit Mayotte, the poorest territory of France and, by extension, the European Union,reports AP.
French President Emmanuel Macron said he will declare a national mourning period and planned to visit in the coming days after “this tragedy that has shaken each of us.”
Mayotte resident Fahar Abdoulhamidi described the situation as chaotic. In Mamoudzou, the capital, everything was destroyed—schools, hospitals, restaurants, and offices were in ruins. Roofs were torn off houses, and palm trees were severely damaged by winds that reached over 220 kph (136 mph), according to the French weather service.
“Mayotte is totally devastated,” French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said, with the ministry estimating 70% of the population was gravely affected.
As of Monday evening, the ministry confirmed 21 deaths at hospitals, with 45 people in critical condition. But French Health Minister Geneviève Darrieussecq warned that any estimates were likely major undercounts “compared to the scale of the disaster.”
Electricity was down across the archipelago, with only the capital spared. Telecommunications were severely disrupted, with most antennas knocked out of service. Authorities were concerned about a shortage of drinking water.
The French Red Cross described the devastation as “unimaginable” and said rescuers were still searching for bodies. The damage, including to Mayotte’s sole airport, has left some areas inaccessible to emergency teams.
Many people ignored the cyclone warnings in the 24 hours before the storm hit, underestimating its power.
“Nobody believed it would be that big,” Abdoulhamidi told The Associated Press by phone. “Those who live in bangas stayed in despite the cyclone, fearing their homes would be looted,” he said, referring to the island’s informal settlements.
Even worse, many migrants avoided shelters out of fear of deportation, Abdoulhamidi said.
Mayotte is a densely populated archipelago between Madagascar and the African continent of more than 320,000 people, according to the French government. Most residents are Muslim and French authorities have estimated another 100,000 migrants live there from as far away as Somalia.
“There’s no water, no electricity. Hunger is starting to rise. It’s urgent that aid arrives, especially when you see children, babies, to whom we have nothing concrete to offer,” Mayotte Sen. Salama Ramia told BFM-TV.
Chido was a category 4 cyclone, the second strongest on the scale, and the worst to hit Mayotte since the 1930s, Prefect François-Xavier Bieuville, the top French government official in the island group, told Mayotte la 1ere.
Mayotte’s airport remained closed to civilian flights after its control tower was heavily damaged and was not expected to reopen until at least Thursday, authorities said.
Bd-pratidin English/ Afia
