Emergency workers in Mayotte are racing against time to restore basic services after Cyclone Chido, the most powerful storm to hit the Indian Ocean island in nearly a century, left a trail of destruction and fear of massive casualties.
On Monday, French military aid began arriving in the French overseas territory, located between Madagascar and Mozambique. Maritime and aerial operations are underway to transport relief supplies and equipment, French authorities announced.
“The first intervention planes arrive in Mayotte to provide emergency aid in the face of the damage caused by the cyclone. The State is fully mobilized to support the inhabitants of Mayotte in this ordeal,” Nicolas Daragon, France’s minister for everyday security, stated on X.
Cyclone Chido slammed into Mayotte with winds exceeding 200 kph (124 mph), devastating communities and infrastructure. The full extent of casualties and physical damage remains unclear, but officials fear the worst.
Francois-Xavier Bieuville, the prefect of Mayotte, warned on Sunday that the death toll could be catastrophic. “Certainly several hundreds, maybe we will reach a thousand, even several thousands,” he said.
In response to the crisis, authorities have established an air bridge between Mayotte and Reunion Island, another French overseas territory east of Madagascar. Sebastien Lecornu, the French minister of the armed forces, detailed the relief efforts.
“For the accommodation of emergency services, three structures capable of accommodating 150 people are on site, with an additional one currently on its way,” Lecornu shared on X, adding that military rations and generators are also being provided.
Residents describe scenes of utter devastation. One local compared the aftermath to a “nuclear apocalypse,” as wreckage from hundreds of makeshift houses lies strewn across hillsides. Coconut trees have crashed through rooftops, and hospital corridors are flooded, according to reports from local media and the French gendarmerie.
Meteo France, the French weather service, confirmed that Cyclone Chido is the strongest storm to strike Mayotte in over 90 years.
Mayotte, located nearly 8,000 kilometers from Paris, is a significant destination for undocumented immigrants from the nearby Comoros archipelago. Despite being a French territory, it is significantly poorer than mainland France and has grappled with gang violence and social unrest for decades.
France colonized Mayotte in 1843 and annexed the four large islands of the Comoros archipelago in 1904. While the rest of the archipelago voted for independence in a 1974 referendum, Mayotte chose to remain under French control.
