Tag: Cyclone Chido

Cyclone Chido destroys Mayotte, leaving thousands of people without homes and health services overloaded.

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.

Explore how Mayotte shows strength during Cyclone Chido and tough economic times.

Mayotte is a lovely French territory off the southeastern coast of Africa. It has recently faced the strong impacts of Cyclone Chido. This lovely place in the Indian Ocean has two main islands. They are Grande Terre and Petite Terre.

These islands are east of the Comoros Islands and northwest of Madagascar. Spanning 374 square kilometers, more than double the size of Washington, D.C., Mayotte is inhabited by around 321,000 people.

It has a high population density, second only to Paris and its nearby areas. The average age is 23, much lower than the 41-year average in mainland France.

The history of Mayotte is vibrant and intricate. Arab seafarers founded small sultanates and traded with East Africa and Madagascar.

They were the first settlers of the islands nearly a thousand years ago. In 1843, France took possession of Mayotte, gradually establishing authority over the whole archipelago by 1904.

Even with the shift towards self-governance in 1961, achieving complete independence continued to be out of reach.

In a major referendum in 1974, 95% of the people wanted to separate. Meanwhile, 63% of Mayotte’s residents chose to remain with France.

Later, the other islands of the Comoros declared their independence in 1975. This made Mayotte’s position unique.

Mayotte’s local economy, primarily reliant on public sector services, significantly relies on financial support from France. A report from the national audit office in 2022 noted that a big investment of 1.3 billion euros was made in 2018.

This investment aimed to improve the island’s infrastructure but did not succeed. Mayotte has experienced some level of prosperity, whereas the nearby Comoros struggles with issues of poverty and political unrest.

This leads numerous Comorians to undertake dangerous journeys to Mayotte in pursuit of improved prospects.

The social welfare and taxation systems are similar to those in mainland France, but Mayotte faces significant economic differences.

Unemployment rates rise to 37%, compared to a mere 7.4% in mainland France. Median incomes show a big difference.

Residents earn an average of 3,140 euros. In contrast, people on the mainland earn 23,000 euros. The economic gap is clear, as three out of four individuals are living under France’s national poverty line.

The islands of Mayotte faced two cyclones in 1898. Soon after, a smallpox outbreak occurred, leading to many deaths.

The island used to rely on sugar for its economy. Now, it grows vanilla, coffee, and aromatic plants like ylang-ylang. However, nature’s challenges and economic inequality still affect its story today.

On Mayotte, Cyclone Chido has already killed eleven people, injured many more, and caused extensive damage; the death toll is likely to climb.

At least 11 people have died, and extensive damage has been caused by a destructive storm that hit the French island of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean.

With 246 casualties and nine in critical condition, the French Interior Ministry warned that the death toll might climb.

Hurricane Chido ripped metal roofs off homes and destroyed tiny buildings with its 220 kph winds. Trees were uprooted, whole communities were leveled, and boats were either overturned or sunk. Much of the island’s infrastructure was destroyed or seriously damaged, including the major airport.

Over the years, Mayotte’s 300,000 residents have weathered droughts and suffered from a lack of investment. The island is now in a critical situation since the typhoon has made these problems worse.

A Paris emergency meeting ended with French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau predicting a “high” death toll.

In two provinces in northern Mozambique, 2.5 million people are now in danger as the hurricane makes landfall.

The landlocked nations of Zimbabwe and Malawi are also making contingency plans to evacuate residents in low-lying regions in the event of floods.

A strong storm has struck the southeast Indian Ocean before. More than 1,500 people lost their lives in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Malawi as a result of Cyclone Idai in 2019.

Emergency workers are attempting to lessen the effect of Chido as the area braces for its arrival.

Mayotte has the full backing of the French government, which has sent rescue and relief personnel to the island. The exact amount of damage and casualties will become apparent as events develop.