Authorities in Mayotte fear hunger and disease; Race to help cyclone survivors By Reuters

By Jean-Stéphane Brosse and Abdou Moustoifa

PARIS/MORONI (Reuters) – Authorities in Mayotte struggled on Tuesday to provide food and water to residents hit by the devastating cyclone over the weekend, battling the spread of hunger, disease and lawlessness across the French overseas territory, officials said .

Hundreds or even thousands could die in the debris of Cyclone Chido, they said. The storm devastated large parts of the archipelago off East Africa, France’s poorest overseas territory.

With many areas still inaccessible, it could take days to determine the full extent of the damage and deaths. So far, 22 deaths and more than 1,400 injuries have been confirmed, Ambdilwahedou Soumaila, the mayor of the capital Mamoudzou, told Radio France Internationale on Tuesday morning.

“The priority today is water and food,” Soumaila said. “Unfortunately, people have died whose bodies have begun to decompose, which can lead to a hygiene problem.”

“We have no electricity. When night falls, there are people who take advantage of this situation.”

Rescue workers have searched for survivors in the rubble of slums tossed by 200km/h winds.

Several people were rescued in Mamoudzou, Sitti-Rouzat Soilhi, a city government communications official, told Reuters, adding that more than 700 security forces had been mobilized to help residents and bolster security.

French President Emmanuel Macron said after an emergency cabinet meeting on Monday evening that he would visit Mayotte in the “coming days”.

Mayotte is a major destination for undocumented immigrants from the nearby Comoros islands, whose capital is Moroni, and has struggled with unrest in recent years. More than three quarters of the approximately 321,000 people live in relative poverty.

Chido was the strongest storm to hit Mayotte in more than 90 years, French weather service Meteo France said.