The French archipelago of Mayotte, located between mainland Africa’s east coast and northern Madagascar, was hit last week by the strongest cyclone in nearly a century. Winds howling above 220 kilometers per hour (136 miles per hour) peeled the roofs and walls from homes that collapsed around the people inside. Many residents still remain cut off from the world, without access to water, food, or electricity. Public health experts are now concerned that a lack of access to clean water could lead to disease, such as cholera.
The devastation is total in Mayotte, which is by far France’s poorest territory. Mayotte has suffered for years from extreme poverty and deep structural vulnerability — even before the cyclone, 77 percent of the population lived below the poverty line, while 29 percent of households had no access to running water.
The population is regularly subject to severe restrictions on drinking water. In late 2023 and early 2024, tap water was cut off two days out of three to cope with an unprecedented drought.
The cyclone left no chance for the poorest and most marginalized communities. Many of the residents live in shantytowns — indeed, one in three live in a precarious house made of sheet metal. These slums were completely razed by the cyclone, turning into a “mass grave,” according to the local MP Estelle Youssouffa. Some of the wealthiest inhabitants survived by sheltering in solid concrete houses, but the vast majority was hit hard. “We don’t even recognize our streets and our neighborhoods anymore,” said one resident.
Thirty-one people have been counted dead, and more than two thousand people were injured — more than two hundred critically — French authorities said. But no one really knows how many people…
Auteur: Romain Chauvet
