“I have a certain fear deep inside me”, firefighters from Haute-Savoie go to the scene as reinforcements

After Cyclone Chido passed through Mayotte, firefighters from Haute-Savoie left Annecy this Friday morning to reach Paris before flying to the island. This is a unit specialized in rescuing people in disaster zones and hostile environments.

On December 14, Cyclone Chido devastated the French archipelago of Mayotte, causing a heavy human and material toll. The cyclone made “several hundred” of deaths according to the authorities and thousands of people are still missing.

In Haute-Savoie, several groups of firefighters were formed to reach the island and provide support to the emergency services on site. A unit made up of three firefighters left at the beginning of the week to create a communication bubble, another made up of 10 firefighters took off on December 18 to create “a field hospital” and provide medical support on site.

The last personnel to leave are part of the rescue-supported search unit. His mission on site,”search, locate and extract victims”. She set off this Friday, December 20 from Annecy.

This Friday at the Annecy barracks, the rescuers completed the final preparations before boarding the bus, heading to Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. And for some, it is the first time that they have gone on a mission this long, this far and above all, in such a devastated place: “It’s a disaster situation that I have never experienced, so there is a certain fear deep inside me,” says Clément Chupiet, firefighter.

This unit specializes in high-risk rescues. His know-how no longer needs to be demonstrated. “The main missions of this unit are the engagement on earthquakes. I know that the mission is likely to be difficult, but I am calm because I have a team that is trained and ready to leave. We are going to give the best of ourselves to be at our best during this mission”, explains Commander Marc Schmidlin, head of the detachment.

Thanks to the 17 tonnes of equipment that will join them on site, the Haute-Savoie firefighters will stay at least two weeks in Mayotte, in total autonomy. And will spend the holidays very far from home.

“I have two children, they have prepared a note for me that I can open on December 25 and obviously, they understand our job and above all the commitment we have,” smiles Yann Valentin, rescuer-clearer. The plane should take off this Friday around 11 p.m., arrival in the area is scheduled for Saturday during the day.