The Situation in Mayotte is Going From Bad to Worse, A Resident Says
Destruction caused by Cyclone Chido in Mayotte, Dec. 19, 2024. X/ @KayiTurk_
December 19, 2024 Hour: 10:02 am
French authorities declared a ‘State of Exceptional Natural Disaster’ in the archipelago last night.
On Thursday, Francisco Jose Postigo, a Spanish physiotherapist residing in the French archipelago of Mayotte, which was devastated last weekend by Cyclone Chido, stated that the situation for the population is worsening due to shortages of water, gasoline, and electricity.
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“The water reserves we have at home are already running out. We have 20 bottles for four people,” he said in a video, where he also noted that supermarkets and shops are being looted.
President Emmanuel Macron continues his visit to the French overseas department, seeking to reassure residents that his administration is committed to rebuilding Mayotte.
On Wednesday night, authorities declared a “state of exceptional natural disaster” in the archipelago to better address the urgent needs of the population. Additionally, a curfew has been in place since last Tuesday, from 10:00 PM to 4:00 AM, to prevent looting.
The death toll from the cyclone continues to rise slowly, with 31 dead and 45 seriously injured, while major land routes are beginning to clear, enabling the arrival of humanitarian aid sent from mainland France.
The Cyclone Chido ravaged this French department—the poorest in the country—last weekend, with wind gusts reaching up to 220 kilometers per hour, and hundreds of fatalities are estimated. Although the current situation is the immediate consequence of a meteorological phenomenon, the risk exposure of the inhabitants of Mayotte is not just a “natural event.”
“The cyclone that has just hit Mayotte is the most devastating in 90 years. It is a climatic catastrophe driven by rising temperatures in the Indian Ocean, which have reached up to 30°C in recent days. When the sea overheats, the atmosphere is unstable and the winds are homogeneous. All the ingredients come together to create a whirlwind of air masses that sweeps away everything in its path. It is proven that climate change is already making cyclones more violent and that the warming of the atmosphere increases rainfall and violent weather events, explained the French media Contre Attaque.
“In addition to the climatic catastrophe, there is a political and social disaster. Like all former French colonies, in Mayotte, an island colonized in 1843 nestled between Madagascar and the coasts of East Africa, the Constitution of the Fifth Republic allows exceptions that establish a differentiation between citizens residing in Mahor and metropolitan areas. There is no minimum wage, no housing assistance, no emergency medical assistance. In France’s poorest department, 3 out of 4 Mahorais live below the poverty line and 40% of houses are made of sheet metal,” it added.
teleSUR/ JF Sources: EFE- Contre Attaque
