The prefect of Mayotte drew up an initial assessment of the situation on the Mayotte Plateau the 1st following the passage of Cyclone Chido. Although no official human toll can be established, François-Xavier Bieuville estimates that there were at least several hundred deaths. The red alert was lifted to allow the population to try to get back on their feet.
After the passage of Cyclone Chido in Mayotte, the most violent on the island since 1934, no official report on the number of deaths or injuries can be established. “I think there are several hundred deaths, perhaps we will approach a thousand,” estimates the prefect of Mayotte on the plateau of Mayotte the 1st. “It’s extremely difficult to get a count, we have a hospital-related count.”
The CHM reported 11 dead and nearly 250 injured, including 9 in absolute emergency. “This result is not plausible,” adds François-Xavier Bieuville, referring to the scenes of desolation which have replaced the landscapes of Mayotte. “There is also the Muslim tradition of burying the dead in less than 24 hours.” Without questioning it, “certain deaths will not be recorded,” admits the prefect.
So where are the slum dwellers, completely devastated? Many fear that they are under the piles of sheet metal. “This is one of the hypotheses, there is another: what I call astonishment, amazement. Suffering a very violent event for several hours is a situation which leaves its mark on people’s minds, which makes people stay where they are”, supposes the prefect. “But I’m not ruling out any hypothesis.”
The red alert was lifted in Mayotte “to allow everyone to be able to move more freely, we now have to rebuild”, explains the state representative. “France is a great country and Mayotte is part of France. The great quality of France is knowing how to get back up.” The prefect has defined three priorities: securing the population, restoring traffic and essential public services and establishing an air bridge with Reunion and France to allow the sending of reinforcements and supplies. “
The Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, and the Minister of Overseas Territories, François-Noel Buffet will travel to Mayotte this Monday. “The ministers have decided to come to Mayotte’s bedside, I think it is an extremely strong sign,” adds François-Xavier Bieuville. Ministers should “announce a number of things and send out the message to remain courageous and united.”
“We all experienced it in our flesh. I was at the command center with all the services mobilized and the ceiling flew away, we found ourselves facing the storm,” says the prefect, referring to a phenomenon “ extremely violent” for each of us. “When preparing for a crisis, we try to do everything we can. If I had to do it again, I would do even more to go deep with the information.” 120 emergency accommodation centers were opened, 10,000 residents were sheltered. “At the time of the event, people were still arriving at the centers,” notes François-Xavier Bieuville.
Concerning the restoration of essential services, water has already been restored in certain municipalities such as Chirongui, Sada and M’tsamboro. “I took the precaution of having the tanks filled before the event to ensure that the water was restored quickly. This is what was done,” adds François-Xavier Bieuville. “All four factories were terribly damaged, the Ouroveni factory has already been able to operate again.” On the electricity side, power is already gradually being restored in certain sectors. “We have to put back pylons, tighten wires, work on it so that the people of Mahor can recover power as quickly as possible.”
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