Cyclone Chido destroys Mayotte, leaving thousands of people without homes and health services overloaded.
- Hospitals are too full of people
- Infrastructure makes it harder to help in an emergency.
A week after Cyclone Chido hit, France’s poor Indian Ocean region of Mayotte is still dealing with broad damage.
There are more than 320,000 people living on the island, and another 100,000 have moved there.
It is now very hard to figure out how many people have died, get basic services back up and running, and help a population that is struggling.
The main hospital in Mamoudzou, the city of Mayotte, is under a lot of stress. The head of the obstetrics and gynecology department, Dr. Roger Serhal, said that 40 to 60 beds and 40 to 40 patient rooms had been lost. Serhal said, “We have no room for all the patients who are coming in.”
In 220 kph winds, his team delivered three babies, including one by C-section, which showed how badly the hospital was doing.
The damage goes beyond hospitals and clinics. Whole areas were destroyed, and many people didn’t leave even though they were told to because they thought the storm wouldn’t be that bad.
France’s Health Minister Geneviève Darrieussecq, says that the 35 reported deaths are probably a lot less than the real number.
A lot more people may have died, especially refugees who didn’t go to shelters because they were afraid of being sent back to their home countries.
Due to a lack of clean water and power, doctors are worried that a health crisis is about to happen.
Living conditions that are too crowded make it easier for diseases to spread. Patients aren’t getting care because there is no water or power.
“We worry about epidemics like the cholera outbreak that we just stopped,” said Dr. Vincent Gilles, who is in charge of the hospital’s emergency room.
Why do you think Mayotte is having so much trouble?
- Hospitals are overcrowded and don’t have enough beds.
- Not having enough power or clean water
- The chance of disease outbreaks
- Emergency help is being sent out slowly.
As hospital resources run out, the situation stays very bad. As Serhal says, “If it rains, it will be terrible.”
People who live there, like 54-year-old Saindou Mohamadi, who was hurt in the storm, are very sad. He said, “My family needs food and a place to live, but we don’t have anything.”
With six kids to take care of, Mohamadi is like many other Mayotte locals who have lost their homes and are without money.
About 75% of the people in Mayotte live in poverty because the country has long been neglected and underinvested in.
The infrastructure of the island wasn’t ready for Cyclone Chido’s destruction, which made people less confident in the government’s ability to help quickly.
Emergency relief attempts are still going on, including airlifts of food and water, but they are slowed down because Mayotte’s airport is closed to passenger planes because of damage.
During his visit on Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron admitted how bad things were and promised to rebuild. But locals are still angry about how slowly help is being sent to them.
According to France’s Interior Ministry, 70% of Mayotte’s people have been severely affected, and many have been left homeless and defenseless.