Ten days after Cyclone Chido struck the French overseas territory of Mayotte, the archipelago is struggling to recover from ongoing shortages as authorities announce the closure of temporary shelters on 31 December.
A field hospital on a football pitch – close to the only hospital, in its capital Mamoudzou, which was severely damaged by the cyclone – began treating patients on Tuesday, 24 December.
Erected by firefighters from mainland France in 72 hours, the temporary structure is fully equipped and has its own energy and water sources. Doctors and nurses working there say they have been treating a large number of infections.
Rising death toll
Some 4,200 people were injured in the storm, according to the latest statement from the French Interior Ministry. The official death toll has risen from 35 to 39, although authorities say the final figure may be much higher.
"The mission of identifying the victims of the cyclone continues, working with mayors and organisations,” the prefecture said in a statement earlier this week.
Many of the deceased may have been buried quickly, without being officially counted, and others are thought to have been undocumented migrants.
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Mayotte's medical services are unable to treat the most serious cases, and hundreds of people are being evacuated to Reunion Island, France’s other Indian Ocean territory, on the other side of Madagascar.
“Doctors told me, you need to get out, we cannot manage premature births,” Carmen, who is seven months pregnant, told RFI. “I would sacrifice my child by staying in Mayotte.”
On the territory, there are concerns about the spread of disease, after several people died of cholera in the spring. But authorities say that sanitary conditions are being managed.
'Where will they go?'
The water authority is currently producing just over half as much drinking water each day as it was before the cyclone, according to the prefecture.
It is being provided on a rotating basis, with villages getting water for eight hours a day for two days, and then a day off, with water being delivered by lorries.
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Electricity is coming back progressively, with 35 percent of households reconnected to the grid.
In Mamoudzou, some 12,500 people have taken temporary shelter in schools and other public buildings since the cyclone destroyed their already precarious homes, mostly wooden cabins with tin roofs.
Many are still lacking basic food and water, and the mayor announced on Tuesday that the shelters would be closed on 31 December, to encourage residents to start rebuilding their own homes.
“Where will they go?” asked Said, a local volunteer who has been helping families secure food and water. “They are going to wander the streets, and cause chaos.”
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