French President Emmanuel Macron has arrived in Mayotte as the French Indian Ocean area continues to shake due to the destruction of Cyclone Chido.
Macron arrived in Mayotte on Thursday morning and said he was bringing four tons of food and health supplies.
At least 31 people have been reported dead by French officials, and thousands are still missing after the storm hit the small islands on Saturday.
A state of extraordinary natural disaster has been declared in Mayotte.
Earlier, the French Senator from Mayotte, Salama Ramia told the BBC that emergency food is the priority.
“One or two shops have been opened but not all people have money to buy food, even the shops are starting to be empty, so food is really urgent for me.”
Designed specifically for France’s overseas territories, the state of emergency allows administrative obstacles to be overcome to deal with the crisis quickly and effectively.
It is activated for one month, but can be extended in two-month intervals if necessary.
“As we face this unique situation, exceptional resources must be used to quickly restore essential services and implement the ongoing reconstruction program of Mayotte,” said the minister responsible for overseas territories, François-Noël Buffet.
Emergency workers were delivering food and water and clearing roads, while they raced to find the missing.
Health workers are concerned that infectious diseases could spread, as residents report a shortage of clean drinking water and shops are giving away food.
Authorities said their priority is to get the damaged water plants back up and running.
Part of the area remains without power. The newly set deadline it requires people to stay in their homes for six hours to avoid robbery.
Mayotte is one of the poorest areas in France, with many residents living in shantytowns.
Macron’s administration has been criticized for underinvesting in Mayotte for years.
It has been home to 100,000 migrants seeking asylum in France and living in slums. It is believed that they were among those most affected by the storm.
Chido – the worst storm to hit the archipelago in 90 years – brought wind speeds of more than 225km/h (140mph) on Saturday, flattening areas where people live in sheet-roofed shacks and leaving piles of soil and debris.
After Mayotte was a typhoon that hit the African continent, it killed at least 45 people in Mozambique and 13 in Malawi.
Source link
