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Macron Assesses Cyclone Damage in France’s Mayotte Territory

Emmanuel Macron at Dzaoudzi airport, in Mayotte, on Dec. 19. Photographer: Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty Images (Ludovic Marin/Photographer: Ludovic Marin/AFP/)

(Bloomberg) -- French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in the French territory of Mayotte on Thursday to assess damage from the most powerful storm to hit the area in nearly a century. 

The cyclone caused widespread destruction and local officials have suggested the death toll could be as high as 1,000. Emergency crews are still working to rescue survivors, with hundreds of soldiers and firefighters sent to Mayotte to assist in recovery efforts.

The French government declared “exceptional natural disaster” measures for Mayotte on Wednesday to speed up the restoration of vital services. Paris is sending aid, including medicine, food and water.

Mayotte is France’s poorest territory and is heavily dependent on aid from Paris. Around one-third of the territory’s 320,000 residents live in shantytowns, whose sheet-metal roofs are vulnerable to high winds. 

Tropical Cyclone Chido developed in the Indian Ocean from Dec. 7 to 8, hitting Agalega, a dependency located 1,000 kilometers north of Mauritius on Dec. 11, before intensifying north of Madagascar, slamming into the French territory of Mayotte and making landfall in Mozambique on Sunday. 

Macron was initially supposed to attend a summit of European Union leaders in Brussels on Thursday, but skipped the gathering to visit Mayotte. 

©2024 Bloomberg L.P.