By Tasilo Hummel
PAMANDZI, Mayotte (Reuters) – Authorities in Mayotte scrambled on Tuesday to contain hunger, disease and lawlessness in the French overseas territory following a devastating cyclone at the weekend, while Mozambique reported dozens of deaths from the storm.
Hundreds or even thousands of people could die in Mayotte, which was hit hardest by Cyclone Chido, French officials said. The storm devastated much of the Indian Ocean archipelago, France’s poorest overseas territory, before hitting the African mainland.
Essential supplies, medical and technical personnel, and police arrived via an airlift at La Reunion, the area’s only lifeline.
With many parts of Mayotte still inaccessible and some victims buried before their deaths are officially counted, it could take days to uncover the full extent of the devastation.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, 22 deaths and 1373 injured have been confirmed so far.
“It’s impossible to find all of them,” said Mathieu Gouzou, a sports teacher at Bouéni M’titi-Labattoir high school in the town of Dzauzi, when asked about the fate of his students. “Many of them live in a nearby palace, no one can go there.”
Ambdilwahedu Sumaila, mayor of the capital Mamudzu, described the grim scene as authorities prioritized food and water distribution.
“Unfortunately there are people who have died where the bodies start to decompose, which can create a sanitary problem,” he told Radio France Internationale. “We don’t have electricity, when night falls, there are people who take advantage of this situation.”
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said the death toll is likely to be much higher, as about a third of the island’s population is still missing due to poor communications.
“This is a small island with a population of 300,000 and because the cyclone knocked out power, internet and phone lines, around 100,000 people are still missing,” said IFRC Communications Manager Nora Peter.
Palaces
Rescue workers are searching for survivors amid the rubble of mansions blown by winds of up to 200 km/h.
“My children are traumatized, my husband has not slept for three nights,” said Anne, a doctor and mother of four, who returned to Mayotte in the afternoon. “I needed to go to professional training in La Reunion, and then I stayed there.
Complicating matters is the fact that the exact number of Mayotte’s population, which has grown by about 100,000 in the past 10 years, is unknown, largely due to undocumented immigration.
France’s interior ministry announced that a curfew would come into effect Tuesday night from 10 a.m. to 4 a.m. local time.
Twenty tons of food and water were to begin arriving Tuesday by air and sea. The French government said on Monday it expected 50% of water supplies to be restored within 48 hours and 95% within a week.
Prime Minister Francois Bairro said two of the six water treatment plants were back in operation and about half of the electricity grid was back on.
A military hospital was built and the most serious people were taken to La Reunion.
Doctors Without Borders Dr. Claudia Lodesan said restoring access to potable water is critical to preventing the spread of cholera and other diseases.
“An epidemic is not imminent, but there is a very high risk,” he told Reuters, adding that even before the storm, access to clean water and health services was difficult in the slums, where many immigrants live.
“France will quickly repair the hospital, but the situation in the palaces is worrying,” Lodesan said.
Chido was the strongest hurricane to hit Mayotta in more than 90 years.
Officials said on Tuesday that it had killed at least 34 people in Mozambique. Another seven died in Malawi.
Aerial footage from Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province showed houses near the coast that were boarded up and personal belongings scattered under a few palm trees.