“I told myself that my whole family was dead”: Mahorese students in Montpellier testify

They are here, in Montpellier, but their thoughts and their hearts are in Mayotte. They ? Amelle, Alya, Inès, Lina, Malika and Zahara, six young Mahoraises who came to do their higher education in Montpellier. With Cyclone Chido, which devastated the island on December 14, those who were supposed to return to the country will not be able to do so like Alya, 17 years old, in the first year of prep school at Polytech.

“I had to leave today (December 20, Editor’s note). My family was impatiently waiting for me, and I couldn't wait to see them again. This hurts my morale. I also think of my friends and my little brother who study there. How will they continue their studies? It’s already a lost year for them. Then, young people my age died. It's a tragedy. We are protected here, we have everything while they have nothing. This makes me deeply sad. Luckily I'm here with my cousins“, confides the young Mahoraise.

Although none of these students was faced with the loss of a loved one, all their families, on the other hand, suffered the full brunt of the cyclone: ​​homes destroyed for some of them, or heavily damaged, plots of land devastated. , dead animals, power cuts, no access to water, difficulties with supplies and access to care, floors littered with uncollected waste and looting accentuating a feeling of apocalypse…

“Being here, we feel helpless”

“We are only talking about Mamoudzou and Petite-Terre, but the cyclone affected the entire island and all its inhabitants, even if it is not with the same intensity everywhere. At home, in Mangajou, in Grande-Terre, they are all in a state of shock. The network was out of service, so I couldn't reach them. Watching the videos posted on social media, I told myself that my whole family was dead. We can't help but think the worst in these cases.“, confides Malika, 23 years old, student in disaster management and natural risks to Paul Valéry.

The other subjects of concern are now the health risks, with an island recently affected by a cholera epidemic, but also the looting which is rampant on the island, from the first day of the passage of the cyclone. “Our families really don't feel safe, as if it wasn't hard enough for them already“, adds Zahara, 23, resource management student at Paul Valéry.

Fortunately, with the return, although incomplete, of the network, each of them was finally able to contact some of their loved ones. “My mother told me what happened, but I know she is hiding things from me. It's hard to be here. I hadn't planned to come home for the holidays, but if the airport had been open, I would have done so to help“, said Malika. “I too would have liked to be able to come home and help clean up because, here, we feel helpless. As I don't return to my classes until January 16, I contacted the Red Cross to volunteer, but I have no response at the moment. It's infuriating. I'm afraid for my father and my brother who are still there“, says Inès, 22, a communications student.

“I would like no one to forget this date”

They also have anger both in relation to the situation of their island and in relation to the French government, incapable until now of structuring relief and meeting the vital needs of the inhabitants. “We realize that this catastrophe is not only natural, but also political, economic and social. Global warming has only made things worse. The island's vulnerability to climatic hazards is not new, but nothing has been done in terms of prevention. The elected officials are to blame. We must also educate the population about these risks, because they are in total ignorance“, frets Malika.

As for aid from the French government, which is struggling to come, they are all completely incomprehensible. If that wasn't enough, the President of the Republic's speech when he came to Mayotte shocked them all. “The people there are in great distress and the president is setting things on fire. I feel like we have to beg for something we're entitled to. What I want is for us to rebuild at home, for elected officials and the population to learn from this disaster, for us to finally plan in advance and for no section of society to be forgotten. Finally, I would like no one to forget this date of December 14, 2024“, comments Malika. A date now engraved in everyone's mind to the point of revising their future plans.

Change of direction

His initial plan, once his studies were completed, was to work in mainland France. “I was thinking of starting here, then going to the West Indies. Now, as soon as I have finished my last study period, I am returning to the country. This is where I need to be to contribute my skills“, specifies Malika. Alya, for her part, imagined making her mark here, then abroad. Once she becomes a water and engineering engineer, she has now decided to return to Mayotte because, “with what has just happened, I prefer to return and help rebuild the country“, assures the student. While waiting for better days, everyone continues to follow the information with a lump in their stomach.