Cape Town – Typhoon Chido left at least 11 people dead and caused damage to a slum in Mayotte in the Indian Ocean before making landfall on Sunday in Mozambique on the east coast of Africa.
The powerful typhoon could hit 2.5 million people in northern Mozambique as aid agencies warn of more deaths and more damage.
The French Ministry of the Interior said it seems difficult to get the figures of the dead and injured in Mayotte but confirmed that at least 11 have died. The hospital reported that nine people were in a critical condition and another 246 were injured, the ministry said.
Chido swept across the southeast Indian Ocean on Friday and Saturday, also hitting the nearby islands of Comoros and Madagascar. Comoros authorities said 11 fishermen who went out to sea earlier this week are missing.
Mayotte was in the path of the storm and was seriously damaged on Saturday, officials said. The local manager said it was the worst storm to hit Mayotte in 90 years.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said on Saturday night after an emergency meeting in Paris there were fears that the death toll in Mayotte would be “higher” and the island destroyed. Prime Minister François Bayrou, who took office on Friday, said public infrastructure had been severely damaged or destroyed, including a major hospital and the airport.
Chido brought winds of more than 220 kph (136 mph), according to the French weather service, making it a category 4 typhoon, the second strongest on the scale.
France wants to open an air and sea bridge to Mayotte
Mayotte has a population of just over 300,000 spread over two large islands off the east coast of Africa. It is the poorest island of France and the poorest region of the European Union. In some parts, entire metal shacks and huts were destroyed, while residents reported that many trees were uprooted, boats were overturned or sunk and electricity was cut off.
Chad Youyou, a resident of Hamjago in the north of the island, posted videos on Facebook showing the extensive damage to his neighborhood and fields near the hills, where almost all the trees were laid aside.
“Mayotte is destroyed … we are destroyed,” he said.
Rescuers and firefighters were dispatched from France and the nearby French region of Reunion and supplies were also rushed in by military aircraft and ships. Damage to the airport's control tower meant that only military aircraft were able to fly in.
Patrice Latron, the manager of Reunion, said the authorities intend to establish an air and sea bridge from Reunion to Mayotte. About 800 rescuers were to be sent in the coming days and more than 80 tons of supplies had already been airlifted or were on their way by ship. Some of the priorities are to restore electricity and access to drinking water, said Latron.
France's interior ministry said 1,600 police officers and officers had been deployed “to help people and prevent possible looting.”
French President Emmanuel Macron said he was closely monitoring the situation, while Pope Francis prayed for the victims of the storm during his visit to the French Mediterranean island, Corsica, on Sunday.
This typhoon hit northern Mozambique
Chido continued on its eastern track until it entered northern Mozambique, while the remote inland area trapped by Malawi and Zimbabwe warned that evacuations may be necessary due to flooding.
In Mozambique, UNICEF said the province of Cabo Delgado, home to about two million people, was the first region to be hit and many homes, schools and health facilities were partially or completely destroyed.
The spokesman for UNICEF in Mozambique, Guy Taylor, said that communities are facing the possibility of not learning in schools and health centers for many weeks and the authorities in Mozambique have warned that there is a high risk of landslides.
December to March is typhoon season in the southeast Indian Ocean and southern Africa has been hit by a series of hurricanes in recent years. Cyclone Idai in 2019 killed more than 1,300 people in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe. Hurricane Freddy left more than 1,000 people dead in many countries last year.
These typhoons bring the risk of floods and landslides, but also stagnant pools of water can cause deadly outbreaks of waterborne cholera and dengue fever and malaria.
Research says these typhoons are getting worse because of climate change. They can leave the poor countries of southern Africa, which have little impact on global warming, which need to deal with major humanitarian problems, underscoring their request for more aid from rich countries to deal with the impact of climate change.
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