Mayotte cyclone: health services in ruins as rescuers race to reach survivors

The cyclone that struck Mayotte has severely disrupted health services in the French territory of the Indian Ocean. According to a minister on Monday, the hospital suffered significant damage, and many health centers are no longer functioning.

The hospital has experienced significant water damage and destruction, especially in the surgery, intensive care, maternity, and emergency departments," said French Health Minister Geneviève Darrieussecq in an interview with France 2. She also mentioned that "medical facilities were not functioning."

Rescue teams are working quickly to find survivors after Cyclone Chido devastated numerous informal settlements, leaving hundreds of people unaccounted for. The intense storm caused significant destruction to Mayotte’s airport and disrupted essential services like electricity, water, and communication when it hit France's most impoverished territory on Saturday.

François-Xavier Bieuville, the prefect of Mayotte, informed Mayotte la Première that he anticipates the final number of fatalities to be “around a thousand or possibly several thousand.”

Ambdilwahedou Soumaila, the mayor of Mamoudzou, the capital of Mayotte, stated to AFP that the storm left no area unscathed. “The hospital has been damaged, schools have been affected, and many homes are completely destroyed,” he reported.

According to his office, French President Emmanuel Macron will hold a meeting to address the crisis in Paris at 6 PM.

Bruno Retailleau, the interior minister of the country, is set to visit Mayotte on Monday, according to his office. He will be accompanied by 160 soldiers and firefighters to bolster the existing 110 personnel already on the ground.

When Cyclone Chido hit Mayotte, it brought winds of over 140 mph. This island, located between Mozambique and Madagascar, is home to around 320,000 people, with a significant portion living in slums. Many of the houses in these areas, which often have roofs made of sheet metal, were destroyed by the powerful storm.

One local, Ibrahim, described "devastating scenes" as he navigated the main island, having to clear the obstructed roads on his own.

As officials evaluated the extent of the catastrophe, a relief plane landed in Mayotte on Sunday. This aircraft brought three tons of medical supplies, blood for transfusions, and 17 medical personnel, as reported by authorities in La Réunion, a nearby French territory in the Indian Ocean located approximately 870 miles away, which is acting as the logistical hub for the rescue efforts.

Patrice Latron, the governor of La Réunion, stated that the people of Mayotte are dealing with a “highly disordered situation and significant damage.” Two military planes were anticipated to join the first aid flight, and a naval patrol vessel was also set to leave from La Réunion.

Several global commitments have been made to assist Mayotte, including support from the regional Red Cross group, PIROI. Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the EU, stated that the union is “prepared to offer assistance in the coming days.”

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the leader of the World Health Organization, stated that the WHO is prepared to assist communities that require vital health services.

The French interior ministry estimates that around 100,000 individuals are believed to be living illegally in Mayotte, making it challenging to determine the number of people impacted by the cyclone.

Ousseni Balahachi, who used to work as a nurse, mentioned that some individuals were too afraid to go out for help because they worried it could be a ploy to deport them from Mayotte.

Many waited "until the very end" and found it was too late to get away from the cyclone, she said.

Experts say that Chido is the most recent in a series of storms around the globe that are driven by climate change. According to meteorologist Francois Gourand from the Météo-France weather service, this "extraordinary" cyclone gained strength from unusually warm waters in the Indian Ocean.

The cyclone swept through the Indian Ocean and struck land in Mozambique on Sunday, with officials reporting that it has caused three fatalities.

According to UNICEF, the United Nations agency focused on children, numerous houses, schools, and healthcare centers have suffered either partial or total destruction.

The UN's humanitarian organization, OCHA, reported that 1.7 million individuals are at risk due to the cyclone. They also noted that the leftovers of the storm might bring "substantial rainfall" to Malawi on Monday, with Zimbabwe and Zambia likely to experience heavy downpours as well.