Cyclone Chido: 1,000 Feared Dead in France’s Worst Storm in a Century

Cyclone Chido, a tropical storm hit the French territory of Mayotte and left a trail of destruction and a feared death toll of up to 1,000 people. The storm on Saturday, December 14, was described as the worst to hit the archipelago in nearly a century, leaving scenes of destruction as emergency workers scrambled to rescue survivors and provide aid.

Mayotte’s Prefect Francois-Xavier Bieuville painted a grim picture of the tragedy, suggesting the death toll could soar much higher than the 14 casualties officially recorded by Monday.

“I think there are some several hundred dead, maybe we’ll get close to a thousand, even thousands,” Bieuville told a local media outlet on Sunday.

According to forecaster Meteo-France, the cyclone tore through Mayotte with winds exceeding 200 kilometers (124 miles) per hour, causing catastrophic damage to homes, schools, and critical infrastructure. The territory, located off the coast of Mozambique, was left without power, water, or communications, further complicating rescue operations.

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The storm’s impact was particularly devastating for the territory’s most vulnerable residents. Around one-third of Mayotte’s 320,000 people live in shantytowns, where flimsy sheet-metal roofs stood no chance against the cyclone’s ferocious winds.

Hundreds of soldiers and firefighters have been deployed to the island, and French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau arrived in the capital, Mamoudzou, on Monday to assess the situation.

During a press conference, Retailleau acknowledged the unprecedented scale of devastation but refrained from confirming the number of casualties.

“It is not possible yet to provide a death toll,” he said. “Clearly, the island is totally devastated.”

President Emmanuel Macron expressed his support for the people of Mayotte, announcing his plans to visit the territory in the coming days. Macron made this known through a statement on X, formerly Twitter.

“This evening, during the meeting of the interministerial crisis unit, I ensured that all emergency measures to help the inhabitants of Mayotte were taken and that the continuity of the State could be ensured,” Macron stated.

He added: “I will be traveling to Mayotte in the coming days to support our fellow citizens, civil servants, and the emergency services that have been mobilized. This is about dealing with emergencies and starting to prepare for the future.”

President Macron also declared that a day of national mourning would be observed in France.

“Faced with this tragedy which is upsetting each of us, I will declare national mourning.”