FRENCH PM BAYROU & 4 MINISTERS TRAVELLED TO COMOROS ISLAND OVER THE CYCLONE

USPA NEWS - Intense tropical cyclone Chido hit Mayotte (The Comoros archipelago, French side Island) on December 14, 2024, with winds exceeding 200 km/h, causing devastating damage across the island Meteo France The official toll as of December 22, 2024, is 35 deaths Mayotte.gouv (French Prefecture) The material damage is considerable, with many infrastructures destroyed, including electricity networks and gas stations (Source France TV. An airlift has been established between Mayotte, Reunion and mainland France, allowing the transport of more than 100 tons of equipment per day Reinforcements, including 80 EDF professionals, have been sent to help with the reconstruction.
François Bayrou, Prime Minister, visited Mayotte on December 30, 2024, accompanied by five ministers including Elisabeth Borne (Former Prime Minister) and Manuel Valls (Former Prime Minister), to assess the damage caused by Cyclone Chido.
Prime Minister Bayrou presented the "Mayotte debout" plan, promising in particular the restoration of electricity in all homes by the end of January and measures to prevent the reconstruction of shanty towns

CONTEXT
The Comoros archipelago is located in the Indian Ocean, between Madagascar and Africa, composed of four main islands. Mayotte, a French department since 2011, is claimed by the Union of the Comoros (Grande Comore, Anjouan, Mohéli). Mayotte has approximately 300,000 inhabitants, nearly half of whom are believed to be in an irregular situation, mainly from Anjouan. The Union of the Comoros has a population of approximately 850,000 inhabitants. Mayotte faces high levels of illegal immigration, with estimates of up to 20,000 illegal arrivals per year. Mayotte is the poorest French department, with a poverty rate exceeding 75% of the population.
Source of Information
PIROI (Plateforme d'Intervention Régionale de l'Océan Indien) of the French Red Cross, French Ministry of Health, UNICEF France Cycloneoi.com Prefecture of Mayotte, Mayotte.gouv

The Mahorais population is now left to fend for itself, especially deprived of drinking water and food and deprived of a roof, since the cyclone ravaged everything, causing deaths both among French citizen residents and migrants, more difficult to count, given the clandestine nature of their residences on the island.

The reports provided in this article are therefore uncertain and do not reflect reality, given the lack of access to this precise information on the human toll.

President Emmanuel Macron visited Mayotte from December 19 to 20, 2024 following the passage of Cyclone Chido.
The President of the Republic expressed the solidarity and affection of the entire Nation towards our Mahoran fellow citizens following Cyclone Chido which ravaged the island.

These statements show the President's emphasis on national solidarity, emergency management, and the long-term challenges for Mayotte, while addressing the sensitive issues of immigration and reconstruction.


The French Head of State thanked all the forces mobilized to help the populations on site.
The President of the Republic detailed the three stages that will allow the archipelago to recover after the disaster:
1. RESPOND TO THE EMERGENCY
• clear the roads, inspect the municipalities, evacuate waste;
• transport drinking water, food and care as quickly as possible;
• increase these deliveries, with maritime and air reinforcements;
• restore water in the taps as well as electricity thanks to generators;

2. STABILIZE & SETP UP EFFORTS
• activate the "natural disaster" system to provide compensation as quickly and simply as possible;
• requisition Mayotte's vital forces to combat infectious risks and limit chronic diseases;
• requisition the economic forces that hold stocks of water and food;
• secure Mayotte neighborhoods to avoid any looting and/or violence;
• rehouse our compatriots who need it, as quickly as possible;
• do everything possible to prepare for the start of the school year on January 13.
• stabilize our telecommunications networks thanks to satellite techniques;
• ration the gasoline available to avoid any shortage;
• strengthen the security forces present, with the arrival of new brigades of mobile gendarmes and soldiers: 1,200 internal forces will be present on the island to secure all the neighborhoods from Sunday, December 22. 2. Stabilize and step up efforts
• activate the "natural disaster" system to provide compensation as quickly and simply as possible;
• requisition Mayotte's vital forces to combat infectious risks and limit chronic diseases;
• requisition the economic forces that hold stocks of water and food;
• secure Mayotte neighborhoods to avoid any

3. REBUILD MAYOTTE
Macron detailed "the three stages" for rebuilding the archipelago: respond to the emergency, rebuild, and rethink land use planning
• create the public institution "Rebuild Mayotte" in order to work with the best expertise while simplifying procedures;
• mobilize all the economic forces of the island in order to carry out a methodical reconstruction;
• set up a national solidarity system;
• put an end to shanty towns and all substandard housing.
The Head of State was very cautious about the provisional death toll as well as the total cost of such reconstruction. Source: Elysee French Presidency