France will observe a national day of mourning to honor the victims of Cyclone Chido, which devastated its Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte earlier this month.
President Emmanuel Macron announced the remembrance during his visit to the island last week, where he faced jeers from locals frustrated by the delayed arrival of aid. According to the reports of Leaders team, the cyclone, which struck on 14 December, brought winds of up to 260 km/h (160 mph) and 250 mm of rainfall in 24 hours, leaving widespread destruction in its wake.
Rising Death Toll and Struggles for Survivors
It is feared that hundreds, possibly thousands, of people lost their lives in the storm, although official reports confirm 31 fatalities so far. Thousands remain missing, and survivors are enduring severe hardships without access to water, electricity, or communication.
The cyclone flattened entire neighborhoods, many of which consisted of makeshift homes with sheet metal roofs, and transformed the landscape into fields of rubble. Over 100,000 people are now housed in Red Cross shelters after losing their homes.
A National Tribute Across France
Cities across France, including Paris, Marseille, and Lyon, will pay tribute to the victims with flags flown at half-mast. The gesture symbolizes solidarity with Mayotte, France’s most impoverished territory, which has suffered what Prime Minister François Bayrou described as “the worst natural disaster in centuries of French history.”
Macron’s Visit and Rebuilding Pledges
During his visit to Mayotte, Macron toured the devastated region by helicopter and pledged to rebuild the island’s shattered infrastructure and homes. Reflecting on the extent of the destruction, he called it a day he would “never forget.”
However, Macron faced criticism from residents who demanded faster aid distribution and accused him of neglecting the crisis. In response to the anger, Macron remarked, “I had nothing to do with the cyclone. You can blame me, but it wasn’t me.”
Cyclone’s Broader Impact on Africa
As per the sources of Leaders team, after ravaging Mayotte, Cyclone Chido struck the African mainland, killing at least 94 people in Mozambique and 13 in Malawi.
As the French nation mourns, the tragedy serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerability of impoverished regions to natural disasters and the urgent need for effective response mechanisms.
