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Jeremy Colin
Published on
Jan 6, 2025 at 5:17 p.m.
This is inevitably the kind of mission that marks a firefighter, however experienced he may be. Engaged in Fumel, in Lot-et-Garonne, firefighter Louis José intervened in Mayotte from December 21, 2024a week after the devastating passage of Cyclone Chido on the archipelago.
Louis José was with other firefighters in this missionincluding one also coming from Lot-et-Garonne, in Miramont-de-Guyenne, this time. “Already upon our arrival on Reunion Island, on December 18, we discovered a lot of terror and chaos,” he comments.
The emotion of this grandfather facing the children of Mayotte
The arrival on the archipelago is then chilling to say the least.. “We discovered the scale of the disaster. » But no time to feel sorry for the firefighters who must quickly get to work. “There wasn't much from a logistical point of view and organizing the rescue was complicated. »
The firefighters therefore set to work to provide as much support as possible to the Mahorais. “People didn't have access to anything at that time, including water and food and primary care. There was a huge need in bangas. We had no right to complain about what we saw. »
Faced with so much distress, difficult to remain indifferentall the more so for this father, who recently became a grandfather. “I'm a grandpa so seeing a 3-year-old kid walking around a sheet metal with open wounds broke my heart. »
Beyond first aid missions, firefighters also made themselves useful where they could be. “We helped with bits and pieces. The emergency, for them, was to put a roof over their children's heads in very complicated climatic conditions with intense heat and torrential rains. »
An improving health situation in Mayotte
During these 15 days of intervention, the firefighters were also able to discover the Mahorais people. “They showed a lot of warmth. For the little we gave them, they found a smile again. »
Left Mayotte on New Year's Eve, firefighters left behind an improving situation on the archipelago. “Logistical and human resources were better organized. Food and water were starting to return. »
From a health point of view, there was also emergency to collect trash and tons of wastein stifling heat. “There were rats everywhere and diseases starting to spread. »
It is a long phase which is now opening in Mayotte. “We are no longer in an emergency situation, it is a long-term monitoring phase. Our replacement colleagues can work in better conditions. »
And, like the Marmandais firefighter Pierre-Yves Chauffournier, Louis José for whom this was the first humanitarian mission, said to himself “ready to leave tomorrow if necessary.» Once a firefighter, always a firefighter.
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