Families in Mayotte continued to search for missing relatives on Monday, two days after Tropical Storm Chido caused significant devastation, with concerns that the death toll could greatly exceed the official count of 14.
The storm produced wind gusts reaching 124 miles per hour, marking it as the worst storm to impact the French territory in 90 years. President Emmanuel Macron convened an emergency meeting in Paris to coordinate government response efforts, while France initiated aid flights from the nearby territory of Réunion.
François-Xavier Bieuville, France's top representative in Mayotte, suggested that the number of fatalities could reach several hundred or even thousands. France's interior minister, Bruno Retailleau, indicated that determining the true death toll would take several days.
The interior ministry highlighted challenges in accurately counting casualties, noting that many local Muslims typically bury their dead within 24 hours, and a significant portion of the population consists of undocumented residents. These factors could lead to an official count that is substantially lower than the actual number of fatalities.
Health Minister Geneviève Darrieussecq stated that the health system had been severely impacted, resulting in degraded access to medical care. The territory, which is the poorest in France, has approximately 80 percent of its population living below the poverty line, considerably higher than the national average.
As the communities began the recovery process, many took to social media in search of missing persons, expressing solidarity with phrases such as "Force à tous." However, disrupted mobile and internet networks hindered communication, with outages lasting over 36 hours.
Mayor Ambdilwahedou Soumaila described the widespread destruction, characterized by power outages and blocked roads, and referred to the scenes as "total chaos." This disaster also highlighted ongoing tensions regarding immigration in Mayotte, which has seen a rapid population increase, largely due to undocumented immigrants from the Comoros, a neighboring archipelago.
In February, discussions were held in France regarding changes to birthright citizenship in Mayotte, but efforts stalled. A new bill proposing similar measures is pending discussion in the lower house of Parliament.
Meanwhile, Mozambique experienced damage from the storm as well, with early reports indicating at least three fatalities. Tropical Storm Chido made landfall in Mozambique with winds comparable to a Category 3 hurricane but has since been downgraded to a depression.
As of now, the storm continues to move southwest, with expectations of dissipating by Tuesday. The primary concern remains the potential for rainfall to trigger flash floods and mudslides. UNICEF aid teams are mobilizing to assess rural areas in northern Mozambique, where the risk of cholera outbreaks is heightened due to poor access to clean water and sanitation.