Close to a thousand people may have been killed as Cyclone Chido hit the French island of Mayotte on Saturday, according to the island’s top official.
It was the strongest storm in more than 90 years to hit the islands, said the forecaster Meteo-France.
The nearby islands of Comoros and Madagascar were also affected.
Mayotte, located about 500 miles off Africa’s east coast, has a population of just over 300,000 people spread over two main islands
Mayotte became an official French colony in June 1843 and is France’s poorest region.
The islands have struggled with drought, underinvestment, and gang violence for decades and now face a crisis following Cyclone Chido.
Damage caused by Cyclone Chido in Mayotte. Pic: AP
“Many homes, schools and health facilities have been partially or completely destroyed and we are working closely with [the] government to ensure continuity of essential basic services,” said United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
“While we are doing everything we can, additional support is urgently needed.”
France‘s interior ministry said 1,600 police and gendarmerie officers have been deployed, alongside rescuers and firefighters from Mayotte and the nearby territory of Reunion. Supplies were also being rushed in on military aircraft and ships.
Mayotte Prefect Francois-Xavier Bieuville told local TV station la 1ere: “I think there are some several hundred dead, maybe we’ll get close to a thousand, even thousands… given the violence of this event.”
He said it was currently “extremely difficult” to get an exact number.
Officials had confirmed at least 11 deaths in Mayotte earlier on Sunday but said that was expected to increase.
How do cyclones form?
Cyclones are an important part of Earth’s weather system because they help transfer heat and energy between the poles and the equator.
A damaged house in the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean. Pic: AP
They form when hot sea temperatures warm the air above the ocean near the equator and create thundery showers.
If the clouds group together, they can form a vertical cylinder that under certain conditions starts spinning.
The cyclone gathers pace and draws energy from the ocean.
It is only when it hits land that the cyclone starts to slow down and eventually disappear – but its path across land can be devastating.
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December to March is cyclone season in the southeastern Indian Ocean, and southern Africa has been pummelled by a series of strong ones in recent years.
Cyclone Idai in 2019 killed more than 1,300 people in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe while Cyclone Freddy left more than 1,000 dead across several countries last year.
Global warming is predicted to make cyclones much more dangerous, although it will not increase the frequency of them.
The IPCC, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, warned it is “very likely” cyclones will have higher rates of rainfall and reach higher top wind speeds.
They can leave poor countries in southern Africa, which contribute a tiny amount to global warming, having to deal with humanitarian crises – underlining their call for more help from rich nations to deal with the impact of climate change.