Mayotte Cyclone Disaster: Emergency Aid and Rescue Efforts Underway Amid Destruction
French authorities have initiated an air bridge to deliver necessary emergency aid to Mayotte, an island adversely impacted by tropical cyclone Chido last Saturday. Current estimates suggest that there may be hundreds of fatalities linked to the cyclone. The initial aid plane landed in Mamoudzou, the capital, on Sunday, establishing a logistical center to channel further assistance arriving from the island of Réunion in the Indian Ocean. In addition, around 800 police and firefighters are slated to arrive to aid in rescue operations, amid reports of looting in supermarkets and the need for substantial health and logistical support.
The immediate priority will be to repair the airport's control tower to permit the full reopening of facilities for civilian flights. President Emmanuel Macron is set to lead the first meeting of a crisis management cell in Paris, while acting ministers of the Interior and Overseas have traveled to the archipelago for on-ground support.
Mayotte, situated between the African continent and Madagascar and approximately 8,000 kilometers from Paris, is home to around 320,000 residents. The island experienced catastrophic winds from the cyclone, with gusts reaching 220 kilometers per hour. Though the official death toll stands at 14, local officials indicate that it could be much higher — potentially in the hundreds or even thousands — due to the destruction of extensive slum neighborhoods. The region is known for its roughly 100,000 precarious housing units, many of which have collapsed, particularly affecting irregular immigrants from the Comoros Islands who reside in makeshift homes also known as bangas.
The Mamoudzou hospital has sustained severe damage, with approximately 70% of its services incapacitated due to rainwater flooding parts of the facilities. Consequently, the hospital is evacuating severely injured patients to the French archipelago of Réunion. Reports also indicate that some reception centers are facing critical shortages of food and water, drawing attention to urgent needs as articulated by senator Salama Ramia during an interview with FranceInfo. She also expressed concern about the looting occurring in the devastated areas.
The cyclone struck Mayotte, already grappling with significant socio-economic issues, notably a poverty rate where nearly 80% of the population lives below the poverty line. The region has seen its population surge by almost 50% over the last decade due to irregular immigration. Located close to the Comoros archipelago, Mayotte attracts many undocumented immigrants seeking French nationality for their children at birth, complicating efforts to identify victims and to direct aid to those in need of assistance, particularly those wishing to remain concealed from authorities.
As the recovery efforts continue amid alarming reports of destruction and social unrest, the situation in Mayotte demands urgent attention and support from national and international communities.
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