The air is cool this Saturday, January 18 in Quintin. In the premises of Pica (Pompier international des Côtes-d'Armor), the coffee is smoking. Nadia Georges and Olivier Dallier lost 40 degrees in a few hours. Mobilized in Mayotte since January 4, the two rescuers returned Wednesday evening, January 15, to France. The first, president of the association, is an emergency doctor in Guingamp. The second, volunteer, volunteer firefighter in Lanvollon. This was his first departure with the NGO. Ten days at the bedside of the archipelago, devastated in mid-December by Cyclone Chido.
Among Pica's missions on site: medical support. A challenge, when “all the healthcare structures have been swept away”, recalls Olivier Dallier. “The only solution for the Mahorais was to go to Mamoudzou. But not everyone has means of transport, nor the financial resources,” says Nadia Georges. So, the rescuers set up their base camp in Dembéni, a coastal town located in the east of the island, in an MJC converted into a dispensary. They received 359 residents there in a little over a week. “We cannot travel with our tables, etc. So for the consultations, we used what we found. Concrete blocks, for example,” explains the firefighter.
Confined with 200 people
Between the 48°C in the sun, the heavy rainfall and the lack of drinking water, the health situation has “significantly deteriorated” following the passage of the cyclone. And the pair tell about digestive infections or bronchiolitis caused by dust. The numerous super-infected wounds, too. “Many people who suffered from minor injuries could not be treated after Chido. For some, it would only have required two or three stitches. But this could have had dramatic consequences,” relates the president of Pica, referring to the amputations carried out at the ESCRIM field hospital, located in the capital.
Last weekend, the MJC of Dembéni was transformed into an accommodation center during the confinement imposed by Dikeledi and its torrential rains. 200 people came to take refuge there. The dispensary was transferred from the ground floor to the first floor of this building “very impacted by the first cyclone”, “with holes in the roof everywhere”. “People were traumatized by Chido. This time, they took cover very quickly. And then, it was reassuring for them to know that there was a medical post on site. »
-“Very very degraded” conditions
Quite quickly, the rescuers also organized themselves to come to the aid of the many undocumented Comorians, very impacted by the disaster. “They live in slums, on the hills. The fruit trees that allowed them to eat have all fallen and their houses are very fragile, made of sheet metal,” explains Nadia Georges. The team of volunteers sets up raids aimed at the inhabitants of these bangas. “We went up with our bag to do some little outpatient care. But it was very, very difficult to follow up. » Up to 140 patients are seen there in a day.
“The closing mission has a somewhat thankless role. We say “Goodbye” while the situation on site is far from being resolved, recognizes the president of Pica. We have to leave because our mission is not to ensure the post-emergency. But Mayotte was already starting from very, very degraded conditions. We could stay there for ten years…”
France
