24 hours after the devastating passage of Cyclone Chido, Mayotte remains isolated. Impassable roads and patchy telephone networks leave hundreds of families in anguish, unable to contact their loved ones.
The Mahorais of the diaspora, and all those on the island who found themselves far from their families are distraught. Despite an internet connection and functional telephone lines on their side, everyone faces a wall of silence. Social networks and messaging are filling with messages of distress and concern.
“No news of anyone there since yesterday around 1 p.m. Hoping that everything will get better very quickly but it honestly sucks.”, confides Nafissa, student in Reunion.
This feeling of helplessness is shared by many Mahorais living outside the island. The lack of news fuels fears. However, some try to put things into perspective like this Internet user:
“With a few exceptions only those who have starlink and a generator can communicate. I sent a WhatsApp message to around twenty Mahorese friends. None have been distributed. Since it is impossible for them all to be seriously injured or dead, the network is down.”
Indeed, winds of nearly 200 km/h caused significant destruction, particularly to the electricity network and mobile phone relay antennas. The operator Orange has announced that it is mobilizing to restore its networks as quickly as possible.
Only a few strategic districts such as Hauts-Vallons are currently supplied with electricity. In this context, means of communication are limited. Emails, social networks, SMS, calls to landline numbers…, the messages are multiplying, testifying to the concern of families separated by distance. “I am in Paris and I have no news from my family in Handréma.
Normally the Mahorais all have old radios, you have to tell them to turn them on with the batteries, in order to listen to the messages,” explains Kadafi Chahari from Handréma.
Others rely on local support. Some residents managed to contact their loved ones through word of mouth or by using numbers that could still be reached. This mother managed to find a working telephone number for an individual: “I gave the address where my children were in Cavani and the man who lived in the village went to check. I was able to talk to them.”
Restoring telecommunications networks has become a top priority. Beyond the human aspect, it is essential for organizing relief and assessing the damage. With roads cut, it is difficult to locate injured people, especially in the most isolated areas.
The rescue teams dispatched to the site will have to face a major challenge: reestablishing communications and providing emergency aid to the affected populations.
