Since the devastating cyclone hit Mayotte on Saturday December 14, humanitarian aid has been organized. In Marseille and its region, communities are mobilizing. They have already managed to release 50,000 euros and deploy firefighting teams on the ground.
Company
From daily life to major issues, discover the subjects that make up local society, such as justice, education, health and family.
France Télévisions uses your email address to send you the “Society” newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time via the link at the bottom of this newsletter. Our privacy policy
“We feel supported”. Bariati Chamasi lives in Marseille and is originally from Mahor. Since the devastating cyclone passed through Mayotte on the night of December 14 to 15, she has been working to help her family and her community.
“Being here and knowing that our families are there, that we can’t really get news, it’s very hard”explains the Mahoraise who spoke to her mother on the phone on Tuesday December 17, after a week without news.
ALSO READ – TESTIMONIALS. “The wait is unbearable”, the Comorian community of Marseille also in anguish after the passage of Cyclone Chido
“The fact that the mayor received us this morning reassured us. We will be accompanied, we will be helped”adds Bariati, who can finally breathe. She was welcomed with around ten other people from the Mahorese community at the Marseille town hall this Tuesday, December 17.
“It’s a great initiative that we were heard”adds Racimia Buenasani, another Mahorese resident in Marseille. This “child of Mayotte” as she likes to point out, was able to benefit from initial support from the students’ parents who did everything to put her in contact with the mayor of Marseille. “We all felt abandoned at the beginning. With what we have created today, we can achieve many things, move forward and move forward even if it is still vague.
Since the tragedy of December 14, the Marseille town hall as well as the Provence-Alpes-Côte-D’azur region have been mobilizing to help the Mahorese community. Funds were released to the tune of 50,000 euros and fire brigades were sent to the scene of the tragedy in order to rescue the victims.
ALSO READ – Cyclone Chido in Mayotte. “In support of the victims”, the Alpes-Maritimes and the Var are mobilizing to send aid to the victims
“As we were able to do at the time of the tragedy in Morocco, we are going to mobilize a fund with the regions of France to help the island. And we are going to make a call for donations which will be centralized with the region”explains the PACA Region, in permanent contact with the authorities and administrations in Reunion (neighboring island having constituted a humanitarian airlift) and Mayotte.
For the mayor of Marseille, Benoit Payan, the absolute priority is to provide all possible support to the Mahorese population by setting up collections.
I decided to send several units from the Marine Fire Battalion to the site as quickly as possible, firstly healthcare personnel, doctors, ambulance drivers and nurses. And also units that are specialists in the search for human lives when there are natural disasters or explosions.
Benoit PayanMayor of Marseille
And to add: “We must look for lives, look for survivors who are still there and treat people who are between life and death and treat people”. The mayor is waiting for the green light from the authorities to organize new collections and mobilize more teams on the ground.
ALSO READ – Cyclone Chido in Mayotte. Firefighters from the Côte d’Azur arrive on site as reinforcements
For the moment, he has had authorization to send 11 firefighters, including a doctor and a nurse, this Wednesday, December 18. A convoy of goods will leave on December 23. He hopes to be able to deliver medicines in the coming days.
The Bouches-du-Rhône firefighters, for their part, sent specialized personnel and equipment in the following areas: nine specialized heavy urban search and rescue (HUSAR) firefighters: rescue, support and search unit, one specialized information and communication systems (SIC) firefighter ), FENICS module, with equipment, a doctor and a nurse, a firefighter made available for logistical resources linked to water distribution and two agents responsible for freight transit by road and a heavy goods vehicle.
For their part, Barirati and Racimia will participate in the rally in support of the Mahorais people organized this Saturday from 2 p.m. at Porte d’Aix in Marseille.
Related News :