Macron arrives in Mayotte to assess the damage from cyclone ‘Chido’ amidst boos

MADRID Dec. 19 () –

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, arrived this Thursday in the Mayotte archipelago to evaluate first-hand the damage caused by cyclone ‘Chido’, which has already left at least thirty dead after the passage of the biggest storm that has ever hit this area of ​​the Indian Ocean in almost a century.

The presidential convoy has been booed upon leaving the airport, amid the growing indignation of the inhabitants of this French overseas territory, who reproach Parías for having underestimated the magnitude of what happened.

“We must not divide,” Macron insisted before a group of people who criticized him for the conditions in which they find themselves, especially those who reside in the peripheral neighborhoods of the capital, Mamoudzou. “The issue is not to blame what is wrong, but to make sure things get better,” he said.

Macron has promised that electricity capacity, water supply and the telephone network will be restored as soon as possible and has not ruled out sending more personnel from France to help with recovery efforts. “Everyone is doing the best they can,” he justified.

The French president arrived in Mayotte one day after declaring a state of exceptional natural disaster, which will be in force for at least a month and will allow, according to the Government, a “faster and more effective” management of the crisis.

The authorities of Mayotte, located in the Indian Ocean between Madagascar and Mozambique, have reported at least 31 dead and 1,370 injured – although initial suspicions pointed to hundreds of deaths and notable damage.

It is the poorest territory in France and largely depends on aid from Paris. Around a third of its 320,000 inhabitants live in shanty settlements, in very precarious conditions.