French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday he would visit Mayotte in the “coming days” after the cyclone hit the French Indian Ocean territory.
Emergency workers continued Monday to search for survivors and fight to restore services in France’s poorest overseas territory, where hundreds or even thousands of people were killed by the worst cyclone to hit the Indian Ocean islands in nearly a century. That thousands of people are likely to die.
After convening key government officials, Macron announced that he would visit the archipelago following the most devastating cyclone (national disaster) to hit Mayotte in 90 years.
Macron declared national mourning
“This evening, during a meeting of the inter-ministerial crisis unit, I made sure that all emergency measures were taken to help the residents of Mayotte and ensure the continuity of the state,” Macron posted on Twitter in the east. ”
“I will be traveling to Mayotte in the coming days to support my fellow citizens, civil servants and emergency services. This is about dealing with the emergency and starting to prepare for the future in the face of this tragedy “which is troubling everyone among us, I will declare national mourning.”
Cyclone Chido devastated large parts of the East African archipelago over the weekend with winds of more than 200 kilometers per hour (124 mph), shattering homes and cutting off phones, power and drinking water.
According to experts, Chido is the latest in a series of storms hitting the globe due to climate change.
The US also said it was ready to provide humanitarian assistance to those affected by the storm.
jsi/rm (AFP, Reuters, AP)
