SAINT RÉUNION: Cyclone Chido unleashed devastating destruction on the French Indian Ocean island of Mayotte on Saturday, with winds reaching up to 220 kilometers per hour. Officials described the situation as “catastrophic,” raising concerns over potential fatalities.
Madi Madi Souf, head of Mayotte’s mayors’ association, spoke from mainland France, stating, “We don’t yet know if there have been casualties, but given the extent of the damage, it seems likely.”
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau confirmed the severity of the situation, stating on social media platform X that significant damage had been reported. He also announced that 140 additional troops and firefighters would be deployed on Sunday to assist with recovery efforts, doubling the current emergency response team.
The cyclone had prompted Mayotte to issue a violet alert, its highest warning level, as Chido’s eye passed from east to west across the northern part of the archipelago en route to Mozambique.
According to Meteo France, winds of at least 226 kilometers per hour were recorded at Pamandzi Airport. However, meteorologists predicted calmer conditions later on Saturday as the storm moved away.
On the ground, the impact was severe. Over 15,000 homes were left without electricity, and mobile phone service was disrupted. Environment Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher highlighted the situation on X, emphasizing the widespread outages.
Abdoul Karim Ahmed Allaoui, head of Mayotte’s firefighters’ union, told BFM News, “Even emergency responders are locked down. There’s no mobile service, and we cannot reach people on the island.”
As Mayotte begins to assess the full extent of the damage, recovery efforts are expected to face significant challenges due to the scale of destruction caused by Cyclone Chido.
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