Mayotte authorities fear hunger and disease; race to help cyclone survivors By Reuters

By Jean-Stephane Brosse and Abdou Mustoifah

PARIS/MORONY (Reuters) – Authorities in Mayotte struggled on Tuesday to deliver food and water to residents hit by a devastating cyclone at the weekend and struggled to stop the spread of hunger, disease and lawlessness in France’s overseas territory, officials said.

They say hundreds or even thousands of people could be killed in the wreckage of Cyclone Chido, which has ravaged large swathes of the archipelago off East Africa, France’s poorest overseas territory.

With many areas still inaccessible, it may take days to ascertain the full extent of the damage and deaths.22 dead and more than 1,400 injured so far, capital Mamudzu Mayor Amdilwahedu Sumila told Radio France Internationale on Tuesday morning.

“The priority today is water and food,” Sumila said. “There are people who have unfortunately died where the bodies are starting to decompose, which can create a sanitation problem.”

“We don’t have electricity, people come at night who take advantage of that situation.”

Rescuers search for survivors under the rubble of shantytowns that were blown down by winds of 200 km/h (124 mph).

Several people were rescued in Mamudzu, the city’s government liaison officer Siti-Ruzat Soilhi told Reuters, adding that more than 700 security personnel had been mobilized to help residents and bolster security.

French President Emmanuel Macron said after an emergency cabinet meeting on Monday evening that he would visit Mayotte “in the coming days”.

Mayotte is a major destination for undocumented immigrants from the nearby Comoros, whose capital is Moroni, and has struggled with unrest in recent years, with more than three-quarters of its population of 321,000 living in relative poverty.

Chido is the strongest storm to hit Mayotte in 90 years, the French weather service Meteo France said.