at least 11 dead and more than 250 injured according to a provisional report

A spectacle of desolation which leaves one fearing the worst. In Mayotte, Cyclone Chido caused significant damage and at least 11 deaths, according to a provisional report given by the Departmental Operational Center to France Télévisions on Sunday December 15 early in the morning, and confirmed by the mayor of Mamoudzou. NNine patients in absolute emergency and 246 others in relative emergency were identified by the service, our colleagues from Mayotte la 1ère also report. As relief operations continue, reinforcements are on their way to the devastated archipelago. Follow our live stream.

Concern about slums. With thousands of residents living in precarious housing, often made of sheet metal, Mayotte was far from prepared for such a cyclone. The emergency accommodation centers set up by the municipalities made it possible to accommodate many families, but the empty streets of certain neighborhoods after the storm raise questions for the authorities. Many are still without news of their loved ones, due to the general power cut and the severely affected telephone network.

The port of Mamoudzou devastated. Many boats sank in the right of way, reports Mayotte la 1ère. A barge ran aground and some infrastructure at the port of Mamoudzou collapsed. Several boats also found themselves on the edge of the sea wall. Destructions which echo the numerous houses on the archipelago ravaged by violent winds, some having seen their roofs fly off during the bad weather.

Reinforcements deployed from Sunday. The resigning Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, announced Saturday evening sending “five successive waves of reinforcement for civil security” in Mayotte, or “around 800 people” by Wednesday, “with the materials that go with it, the equipment and the personnel, 210 medical personnel initially”. The teams come from France but also from Reunion, closer. Some 1,600 police officers and gendarmes were already deployed to help the population and “prevent possible looting”. Secours populaire, for its part, launched an appeal for donations to help Mayotte.