Quotes
It really is a war landscape. I don't recognise anything any more. There's not even a tree left, the hills, there's not a blade of grass, it's extraordinary,
Mayotte resident Camille Cozon Abdourazak told Reuters by video call after her power was restored
It was evident that ... when a cyclone hit ... we would find ourselves in a situation,
left-wing lawmaker Eric Coquerel told French broadcaster LCI, saying
I wouldn't be able... to give you any figures, not for the moment anyway. It's clear that the island is totally devastated,
Retailleau said during a press conferenceI was screaming because I could see the end coming for me,
John Balloz, who lives in Mamoudzou, told ReutersHouses with sheet metal roofs were swept away by the cyclone,
he addedI found a shop open that had water. There were still a few tins of milk left, so I was able to buy a tin of milk for my baby and one for my friend's baby next door,
she addedI need an update from Chiconi please, my brother, my sister-in-law and my niece are there and I'm without any news since Saturday,
said one
The health system is seriously affected, and access to care has been seriously degraded,
outgoing French Health Minister Genevieve Darrieussecq said on Sunday
In fact, the waters where Cyclone Chido developed were 1 to 2 degrees [Celsius – 1.8 to 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit] warmer than usual,
Koll saidThe Indian Ocean is warming at a fast rate, and it is going to warm much more faster in the near future,
Roxy Mathew Koll, a climate scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, told Al JazeeraThere's no water, no electricity. Hunger is starting to rise. It's urgent that aid arrives, especially when you see children, babies, to whom we have nothing concrete to offer,
she said
The next minutes and hours are very important
French civil security spokesperson Alexandre Jouassard told the France 2 news channel
The hospital has suffered major water damage and destruction, notably in the surgical, intensive care, maternity and emergency units,
the French health minister, Geneviève Darrieussecq, told France 2, adding
The hospital is hit, the schools are hit. Houses are totally devastated,
he said
For the accommodation of emergency services, three structures capable of accommodating 150 people are on site, with an additional one currently on its way,
Lecornu said on X late Sunday, adding
Cyclone Chido is a catastrophe for children in northern Mozambique. They risk losing their homes, being separated from their families, and suffering limited access to water, sanitation, healthcare and education,
it said
Honestly, what we are experiencing is a tragedy, you feel like you are in the aftermath of a nuclear war… I saw an entire neighborhood disappear,
Mohamed Ishmael, a resident of Mayotte’s capital Mamoudzou, told Reuters by phone
Our hearts go out to France following the devastating passage of Cyclone Chido through Mayotte,
she posted in French online
For the toll, it's going to be complicated, because Mayotte is a Muslim land where the dead are buried within 24 hours,
a French interior ministry official said earlier
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My thoughts are with our compatriots in Mayotte, who have gone through the most horrific few hours, and who have, for some, lost everything, lost their lives,
French President Emmanuel Macron said