France in crisis mode as rescuers rush cyclone aid to Mayotte

SAINT-DENIS DE LA REUNION: France´s government went into crisis mode on Monday as rescuers raced to reach survivors of a cyclone that left hundreds feared dead after ripping through the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte.

Images from Mayotte showed scenes of devastation, with homes reduced to piles of rubble. President Emmanuel Macron summoned key government officials for a crisis meeting that started at 1700 GMT, his office said.

The most destructive cyclone to hit Mayotte in 90 years, Chido is the latest in a string of storms worldwide fuelled by climate change, according to experts. The disaster poses a major challenge for a government still only operating in a caretaker capacity, days after Macron appointed the sixth prime minister of his mandate. It left health services in tatters, with the main hospital extremely damaged and health centres knocked out of operation, Health Minister Genevieve Darrieussecq told broadcaster France 2.

“The hospital has suffered major water damage and destruction, notably in the surgical, intensive care, maternity and emergency units,” she said, adding that “medical centres were also non-operational”.

Cyclone Chido caused major damage to Mayotte´s airport and cut off electricity, water and communication links when it barrelled down on Saturday. Trees were uprooted and power lines knocked down. Supplying fresh drinking water, a problem on Mayotte even in normal times, is now a major priority.