Almost a week after the passage of Cyclone Chido which devastated the island of Mayotte on December 14, the state of “exceptional natural calamity” was declared. A device specially designed for overseas territories.
Price control for basic necessities
This Thursday morning, the government published in the Official Journal a decree which should allow price controls to avoid any surge in basic necessities such as water, foodstuffs, hygiene products, construction materials or fertilizer again. Other products may be affected and will be specified by the prefect of Mayotte in due course. All of the provisions of this decree are applicable until June 18, 2025.
Stores were getting ready for Christmas
On site, Ramzi Boukhris is a store manager Sodifram in the Hauts Vallons district, in Mamoudzou and is coordinator of numerous points of sale throughout the island. Ramzi Boukhris did not wait to reopen its point of sale, the day after the cyclone. “The deposits are full because we have already been in Christmas mode for several weeks. There is stock… less choice of course, but stock”, assures the director. For him, the decree on price controls is a good thing“this will protect the purchasing power of the Mahorais. And it will prevent some from reselling foodstuffs at higher prices…”he adds.
Containers expected at the end of the week
During a press conference, the prefect of Réunion Patrice Latron declared “move on to the massive phase of support for Mayotte”, with the sending of 200 containers “filled with millions of liters of water” who are expected on Sunday on the archipelago. French distributors such as Coopérative U, Carrefour and Intermarché, present overseas via franchise partners, are participating in this emergency supply.
Internet outages and lack of fuel
For almost a week, gasoline levels at gas stations have been getting lower and lower, which will pose a problem for motorized travel on the island. Also, the telephone network and the internet are damaged and are only blowing up. “We can’t call each other, everyone is disconnected”is sorry Ramzi Boukhris. With the lack of network, payment by credit card is difficult and “you sometimes have to wait in line for up to an hour to make a withdrawal.”says the director.
