It is a small island (300,000 inhabitants) in the Indian Ocean, 8,000 kilometers from Paris. The poorest department in France. That's why the damages caused by the destructive cyclone Chido are still incalculable. Chido arrived last Saturday. By Sunday, it had devastated this archipelago full of shantytowns, with the highest poverty rate in the country.
The Acting Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, arrived this morning in this overseas territory, where he acknowledged that it will take time to know the number of victims. Local authorities were talking about "hundreds or thousands" yesterday. On Sunday, they described "an apocalyptic scenario."
85% of the population is without electricity, mobile networks are barely functioning, and water is just starting to arrive now. Rescue planes arrived last night. The Copernicus Emergency Management Service, a European service created by the European Commission, has been activated this Monday.
François-Xavier Bieuville, the prefect of Mayotte, has assured that "in the coming days, other specialized reinforcements in crisis management and water production will arrive to meet the needs of the residents."
Migration pressure, insecurity, poverty. Chido has struck the most depressed place in French territories. The island of Mayotte is located at the entrance of the Mozambique Channel, 1,700 km from Réunion and 350 km from Madagascar. This proximity facilitates illegal immigration from the Comoros, one of the poorest countries in the world.