Rescue operations are underway in France’s Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte after Cyclone Chido wreaked havoc, leaving widespread destruction and fears of a death toll reaching into the thousands.
The powerful storm struck Mayotte on Saturday, bringing winds of at least 226 km/h (140 mph), causing severe damage to infrastructure, including the airport, hospitals, schools, and essential services. Electricity, water, and communication links have been cut off across much of the territory.
Prefect François-Xavier Bieuville estimated the final death toll could reach “close to a thousand or even several thousand,” while Ambdilwahedou Soumaila, the mayor of the capital Mamoudzou, described the devastation as sparing “nothing.”
Extensive Destruction in Shantytowns
Mayotte, France’s poorest territory, is home to around 320,000 residents, with at least one-third living in fragile shantytowns. These makeshift homes, often with sheet-metal roofs, were flattened by the cyclone. Ibrahim, a local resident, described “apocalyptic scenes” as he navigated blocked roads littered with debris.
Ongoing Rescue Efforts
France’s Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau is set to visit Mayotte on Monday to oversee the response. Reinforcements, including 160 soldiers and firefighters, will join the 110 personnel already on the ground. Aid has begun arriving, with the first plane carrying three tonnes of medical supplies, blood for transfusions, and 17 medical staff arriving from La Réunion, another French Indian Ocean territory serving as a logistics base. Additional military aircraft and a navy patrol ship are expected to follow.
International Support and Challenges
International pledges of support have started pouring in. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that the EU is “ready to provide support,” while WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus affirmed the organization’s readiness to assist with essential healthcare.
Efforts to assess the full scale of the disaster remain complicated, particularly with Mayotte’s estimated 100,000 undocumented residents. Former nurse Ousseni Balahachi noted that some people, fearing deportation, hesitated to seek aid and only attempted to escape the cyclone at the last minute.
Chido’s Wider Impact in the Region
After Mayotte, Cyclone Chido made landfall in Mozambique on Sunday, where at least three deaths have been reported. UNICEF confirmed that numerous homes, schools, and healthcare facilities were partially or completely destroyed.
The UN humanitarian agency (OCHA) warned that 1.7 million people across the region remain at risk. The storm’s remnants are expected to bring heavy rains to Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Zambia in the coming days.
Climate Change’s Role
Experts have linked Cyclone Chido’s intensity to climate change, with meteorologist François Gourand from Meteo France noting the storm was supercharged by unusually warm Indian Ocean waters.
As rescue workers comb through the wreckage, the situation in Mayotte remains dire, with urgent aid needed to address the immense destruction and loss of life.
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