A week after the worst cyclone Nearly a century and a day after a difficult presidential visit, France’s impoverished Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte is still struggling to count the dead, restore vital services and aid a beleaguered population.
Cyclone Chido caused devastating damage across the archipelago. Hospitals, already overwhelmed, are overwhelmed with patients suffering not only from hurricane-related injuries but also dehydration, malnutrition and illness.
At Mamoudzou, the main hospital in the capital Mayotte, doctors faced a cascade of crises.
“We lost 40% of patient rooms, about 50 to 60 beds,” said Dr. Roger Serhal, Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. “There are so many patients coming to the hospital and we don’t have space to accommodate them.”
As Chido swept across the archipelago last weekend with winds of 220 km/h, Serhal and his team delivered three babies, including by caesarean section.
The hospital’s structural damage has forced staff to triage patients and prioritize the most serious cases. Although the official death toll remains at 35, according to the French Interior Ministry on Saturday, the number of seriously injured people has risen to 78, with 2,432 others suffering minor injuries. Health Minister Geneviève Darrieussecq warned that any estimates were likely to be significantly too low “compared to the scale of the disaster.”
Emergency aid was provided by air and sea. According to the Interior Ministry, 31 tons of food and 108 tons of water have arrived since the cyclone, with another 1.6 million liters of water expected on board a container ship on Monday.
The hospital is at 50% capacity while 109 patients have been evacuated to mainland France for emergency care. Three state-of-the-art medical posts have been established on Grande-Terre, the main island of Mayotte, to meet increasing needs.
The storm devastated entire parts of the city. Many people ignored warnings and thought the storm would not be that extreme. Worse, many migrants are avoiding shelters for fear of deportation, authorities said, adding that there could be hundreds or possibly thousands of deaths.
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Doctors fear that the lack of clean water and electricity – coupled with overcrowded housing – is laying the foundation for a health crisis. “The patients come because their illnesses are untreated, there is no water and no electricity. We are concerned about epidemics such as the cholera outbreak that we stopped just months ago,” said Dr. Vincent Gilles, the hospital’s emergency director.
Hospital staff continue to work tirelessly, but resources are running dangerously low. “If we have rain, it will be catastrophic,” Serhal said.
Among the patients struggling to recover is 54-year-old Saindou Mohamadi, who suffered a broken arm and sprained ankle during the storm that completely destroyed his home. From his hospital bed, Mohamadi expressed despair for his family. “My mother is sick, I am sick and my child is sick,” he said. “They have to eat, but I am the one who takes care of the food and now we have nothing.” With six children to feed, Mohamadi is one of countless residents who are homeless and destitute.
“I’m not alone,” he said. “Many of us have lost everything – our homes, our food. I want the government to take care of us and give us food and a place to sleep.”
Mayotte, a densely populated archipelago with over 320,000 residents, is also home to an estimated 100,000 migrants, many of whom live in precarious conditions.
The poorThe overseas region of France, and therefore the European Union, has long struggled with systemic neglect and underinvestment. About 75% of the population lives in poverty and the archipelago’s infrastructure was ill-equipped to withstand a disaster of this magnitude. The destruction of Chido has exacerbated these challenges and left many residents with little confidence in the government’s ability to provide timely and adequate assistance.
Efforts to provide emergency aid, including airlifts of water and food, are underway, but the scale of the need is staggering. Mayotte airport remains closed to civilian flights due to damage, further complicating logistics.
French President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged the gravity of the situation and promised reconstruction during his visit on Friday, but faced criticism from residents frustrated by the slow pace of aid.
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau described the archipelago as “completely destroyed” and painted a bleak picture: around 70% of the population was severely affected by the disaster and many were left homeless and defenseless. For now, the island’s residents and their overstretched medical staff must deal with the frightening consequences of Chido every day.
&Copy 2024 The Canadian Press
