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Cyclone Chido: devastation in the French territory of Mayotte

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Cyclone Chido: devastation in the French territory of Mayotte

  • Cyclone Chido was a Category 4 storm, causing widespread damage across the islands of Mayotte.
  • The storm had winds over 155 miles per hour, making it the strongest storm to hit the area in over 90 years.
  • The cyclone caused significant destruction in the area, destroying neighborhoods and critical infrastructure.

On Saturday, the French territory of Mayotte was overwhelmed by Cyclone Chido, a storm that left devastation and destruction in its wake.

According to CNN, Cyclone Chido was a Category 4 storm which made its way through the southwestern Indian Ocean, hitting parts of northern Madagascar before it intensified and slammed into Mayotte.

The storm had winds over 155 miles per hour and was the strongest storm to hit the islands in over 90 years, according to The Washington Post.

After the storm hit Mayotte, moved on to Northern Mozambique where it also caused damage. Per reports, Chido has weakened and is now classified as a depression.

Mayotte is a French territory off the coast of east Africa in the Indian Ocean, it is made up of two main islands.

The territory has a population of around 300,000.

“Located about 5,000 miles from Paris, Mayotte is the poorest place in the European Union and has struggled with unemployment, violence and a deepening migration crisis.” per CNN.

What damage did Cyclone Chido do to Mayotte?

Cyclone Chido, “flattened neighborhoods, knocked out electrical grids, crushed hospitals and schools and damaged the airport’s control tower,” per CNN.

The slums of Mayotte, where many undocumented immigrants live, were hit the hardest, with entire neighborhoods flattened by the storm, per CBS.

Most houses in the slums were stripped of their roofs.

Many areas of Mayotte have been cut off, the electricity, internet and phone services were severely damaged by Chido.

So far, 20 people have been confirmed dead, but officials from the island have said the death toll is most likely in the hundreds or thousands, per The BBC.

Residents of the territory have also reported severe shortages of vital supplies such as food and clean water.

The storm’s winds caused severe damage to critical infrastructure such as the hospital and airport, per The Washington Post. This makes it more difficult for the injured to receive care and for aid to be delivered by air.

Aid will be delivered by boat and work has begun to clear debris and set up a temporary hospital.

France has begun sending aid and rescuers to the territory to help those who were affected, per The Associated Press.

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