Tropical Cyclone Chido ‘spares nothing’ in Mayotte, thousands feared dead
Tropical Cyclone Chido, the strongest storm to impact Mayotte in 90 years, struck the island on Saturday, December 14, 2024, claiming at least 21 lives, injuring over 830 people, and leaving one-third of the island’s 320 000 residents homeless. Authorities fear the death toll could rise to several hundred or even thousands as the full extent of the devastation becomes clear.
Aerial view of the damage caused by Chido in Mayotte. Image credit: Gendarmerie Nationale
- Tropical Cyclone Chido, the most powerful storm to hit Mayotte in 90 years, claimed around 20 lives, and injured over 830 people. However, authorities fear the toll will reach hundreds, possibly even several thousand.
- Over 100 000 people were relocated to emergency centers and 15 000 experienced power outages.
- One-third of the island’s 320 000 residents were left homeless.
Tropical Cyclone Chido struck Mayotte, a French Indian Ocean Territory, on December 14 as a category 4-equivalent cyclone — the most powerful cyclone in 90 years.
The cyclone brought winds of 180 to 230 km/h (112 to 143 mph), causing significant damage across the island, downing electric poles, ripping roofs off homes, and uprooting trees. The local government instructed the approximately 320 000 residents on the islands to remain confined as the storm moved through the region.
Scenes of catastrophic destruction emerged on December 15, and by early December 16, authorities confirmed 21 deaths and over 830 injuries. However, local officials, including Health Minister Geneviève Darrieussecq, cautioned that these numbers are likely underestimates given the extensive scale of the disaster.
The French government’s top representative in Mayotte, Prefect François-Xavier Bieuville, said he believes they will definitely have several hundred deaths. “Maybe we will reach a thousand or even several thousand.”
Approximately 100 000 people were relocated to 70 emergency centers, while 15 000 others experienced power outages. The cyclone caused severe damage to the island’s hospital, leaving health centers non-operational.
Aerial footage shared by French gendarmerie forces revealed the wreckage of hundreds of makeshift houses scattered across the hills of one of Mayotte’s islands.
“The hospital has suffered major water damage and destruction, notably in the surgical, intensive care, maternity, and emergency units,” Minister Darrieussecq said. “Medical centers were also non-operational,” she added.
“The hospital is hit, the schools are hit. Houses are totally devastated,” said Ambdilwahedou Soumaila, the mayor of Mamoudzou, the capital of Mayotte, adding that the cyclone had “spared nothing.”
At least one-third of Mayotte’s population of 320 000 have lost their homes due to the cyclone, according to the outgoing Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau.
Ibrahim, a Mayotte resident, described the scene as “apocalyptic” as he attempted to reach the west of the main island on Sunday morning, December 15. “Even the biggest companies suffered damage,” he said.
Minister Retailleau traveled to Mayotte on Monday, December 16, accompanied by 160 soldiers and firefighters who joined the 110 personnel already deployed to the islands.
A first aid plane carrying three tonnes of medical supplies, blood for transfusions, and 17 medical staff had landed in Mayotte at 15:30 local time (LT) on Sunday. Two military aircraft were expected to follow.
The full extent of the damage remains unclear.
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References:
1 Echo daily flash – ERCC – December 16, 2024
2 Cyclone Chido: au moins 20 morts à Mayotte – APA – December 16, 2024
3 Mayotte cyclone: health services in ruins as rescuers race to reach survivors – The Guardian – December 16, 2024
4 Hundreds feared dead as Cyclone Chido devastates French island of Mayotte – The Guardian – December 15, 2024
I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.
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