“The first images when we got off the plane were as good as those we had seen before leaving. The setting of a catastrophe which devastated the entire territory. » Guillaume Aymard, nurse captain in the fire brigade, returns from a fortnight's mission in Mayotte. He was part of the first volunteer teams to go there, just after the passage of Cyclone Chido, with two other members of the departmental fire and rescue service (Sdis 79): the doctor captain Clément Porcher and the first class sapper Soidroudine Rachadi. Born in Mayotte where he lived until the age of 21, the latter “was very helpful. He knows the island by heart, he speaks Mahorese. He helped us enormously with his knowledge and skill,” relates the nurse.
“Many wounds linked to sheet metal”
“We were deployed to Petite Terre. Our mission was to reach out to the population, in places where they had lost all the habitat which was very precarious. » Arriving shortly after the cyclone, “we were the first to go to these places”. Meeting people in need, some injured who had not taken the step of seeking care. In an irregular situation, uninformed or without money? “Normally, care is not free; there remains a portion to pay of approximately €5 for the consultations. » This may have held back some, unaware that the emergency aid provided was free.
“We have seen a lot of wounds linked to sheet metal, the main material of homes. As they flew away, they caused cuts. There were nail wounds too. » As they progressed, they sometimes saw “significant wounds”some “which had become infected over the days and required several treatments”. The caregivers carried out a number of disinfections and dressings. “We advised them to go to dispensaries and carried out evacuations when necessary. »
Recognition in bangas
The aid days followed the same pattern: “In the morning, care and recognition in the “bangas”, precarious habitats, and in the afternoon, distribution of water and food with others. » Maraudes of fifteen to twenty kilometers per day, like a trek on terrain sometimes difficult to access by “more than 35°C” with “very heavy tropical rains from time to time”. All in Spartan living conditions, housed in a “permanent living base” but without access to running water where showers were taken “using water bottles or wipes”. There is no reason to dwell on the subject for the firefighter nurse, especially given the situation for the local population. “It was our choice. It’s a sense of the firefighters’ commitment to helping people who are suffering. We are committed to helping. »
“The challenge is logistics above all”
The recognition and thanks received in return constitute the greatest rewards as “the smile of a child being cared for”. And general gratitude: “It was a strong human encounter. The Mahorais are very welcoming. There is exemplary solidarity. » Lined with a strong capacity for resilience. “There are storms and very heavy rain. In a week, the precarious habitat was rebuilt with sheets of metal, wood, nails… Everything they could find to try to find shelter. » In the eyes of the nurse who was able to see all the needs on site: “The challenge is logistical above all. »
Returning to Deux-Sèvres on December 31, 2024, the first firefighters of the department present in Mayotte were relayed by a new team of three representatives of Sdis 79 called to stay there for three weeks.
