The government has taken new emergency measures in support of the Pacific archipelago devastated by the passage of Cyclone Chido. Emmanuel Macron arrived on site this Thursday, December 19 in the morning.
A status worthy of the catastrophe. The French government has declared a state of “exceptional natural calamity” in Mayotte, devastated by the passage of Cyclone Chido, where help continues to flow and where President Emmanuel Macron arrived this Thursday, December 19 in the morning. This is the first time that this brand new device, specially designed for overseas territories, has been activated.
According to the Ministry of Overseas Territories, it will ensure “faster and more effective management of the crisis and facilitate the implementation of emergency measures” after the deadly passage of the cyclone in the poorest department in France, where a third of the population lives in precarious housing. With an initial duration of one month, the system can be renewed for periods of two months, and “allows greater responsiveness to local and national authorities, while streamlining certain administrative procedures”the ministry said in a press release.
In addition, faced with the widespread shortage, the government published a decree to block the prices of consumer products in the archipelago at their levels of December 13, just before the cyclone. This concerns products such as mineral water, food and beverage products, batteries, but also basic, everyday hygiene products dedicated to construction, as well as animal feed.
«Pandza comes pandza is rehearsing. Mahorais, where we will rise together”launched Emmanuel Macron in a message on X (formerly Twitter) this Thursday morning, shortly after landing on the archipelago. He will go to the bedside of patients but also caregivers at the Mayotte hospital center (CHM), before going to a “destroyed neighborhood”announced the Elysée. The Head of State is taking rescue workers as well as 4 tonnes of food and health cargo on his plane. In total, more than 100 tonnes of food were to be distributed on Wednesday, according to the resigning Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau.
Cyclone Chido, the most intense that Mayotte has experienced in 90 years with winds of more than 220 km/h, hit the archipelago on December 14. According to a provisional report from the Ministry of the Interior, it left 31 dead and 1,373 injured, even if the authorities anticipate a much higher number of victims. “The tragedy of Mayotte is probably the most serious natural disaster in the history of France for several centuries”wrote Prime Minister François Bayrou in a letter addressed to political forces on Wednesday.
Water and electricity supplies remain precarious
“We are moving to the massive phase of support for Mayotte”also declared Patrice Latron, the prefect of Reunion, the island from where the authorities launched a «pont maritime civil» which was to start overnight with the departure of some 200 containers expected on Sunday on the archipelago. Among this load, the equivalent of “millions of liters of water”. Thanks to these shipments, “no shortage of bottled water is expected”welcomed the authorities.
Water supply “working at 50%” François-Noël Buffet clarified on Wednesday, but it presents a risk of “poor quality”. Electricity is only “partially restarted”. The roads are mostly cleared. The education system is also very affected: the 221 schools, 22 middle schools and 11 high schools in the archipelago “are all impacted. 40% of the school building is damaged and therefore cannot be used for the moment”we indicate to the Ministry of National Education. Some 27 establishments also accommodate 9,000 victims.
Cyclones usually develop in the Indian Ocean from November to March. This year, surface waters were close to 30°C in the area, which provides more energy for storms, a phenomenon linked to global warming also observed this fall in the North Atlantic and the Pacific.
Update : at 9:02 a.m., with the addition of Emmanuel Macron’s message on X.
