Chido wreaked havoc in Mayotte. On the morning of Saturday, December 14, the eye of the tropical cyclone crossed the north of the Grande-Terre island, causing chaos. The mayor of the capital, Ambdilwahedou Soumaila, confirmed to Le Monde that two people in the shantytown of Kawéni, north of Mamoudzou, died after being crushed by furniture in their tin huts. However, local authorities fear that the human toll could be much higher.

"Many Mahorais have lost everything," said Mayotte Prefect François-Xavier Bieuville, in a press release at 6:30 pm on Saturday, announcing the maintenance of the red alert (shelter in place) due to the rainfall still expected and the strong winds. "Entire neighborhoods were destroyed. At this stage, it is not possible to assess the number of injuries and deaths."

In Mamoudzou, the other shantytowns located on the heights of the town were "swept away like crumbs," said the town's mayor. In Mayotte, France's poorest department, tin huts account for around a third of the housing. Wind gusts of over 220 km/h also blew off the roofs and shattered the windows of many concrete houses and apartments. Countless trees were uprooted and dismembered, obstructing traffic routes.

You have 83.39% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.