A month after the Cyclone Chido, it still remains to be rebuilt

One month that the Chido cyclone has passed, the more violent meteorological phenomenon in Mayotte since 1934. On the island’s roads, in this mid-January, the uprooted trees have given way to the incessant ballet of scooters, cars and heavy goods vehicles loaded with Construction equipment. The archipelago, which became the 101st French department in 2011, is at the crossroads of many difficulties.

In this poorest territory in France, the informal habitat is a reality and Mayotte sees many exiles each year arriving on its coasts, especially from certain neighboring islands of the Comoros. The latest estimates report the presence of more than 100,000 foreign people in the territory.

The day after December 14, the prefect announces that it will be almost impossible to establish a final assessment of human losses. While some victims have been buried within twenty-four hours, as is customary in the Islamic rite, the report of the Interior Ministry remains 39 dead and 5,600 injured. Which is certainly below reality.

More than a month after the ravages of cyclone, water, electricity and the telephone network have not yet been restored throughout the island. The houses in sheet metal, just like those in concrete, were violently affected and the assurances barely start their diagnoses. The hospital, supported by an additional military structure, tries not to flank.

Faced with the magnitude of the situation, the Bayrou government presented an emergency plan called “Mayotte standing”. Its main axes: give means to reconstruction and the fight against illegal immigration.