Five days after the most intense cyclone to hit Mayotte in ninety years, local needs are colossal, particularly in terms of access to food, water and sanitation, electricity, shelter and building materials, and primary healthcare. Restoring means of communication and traffic routes is also a prerequisite for the deployment of relief supplies.
“Despite the widespread destruction, the number of seriously injured people reported in Mayotte is relatively low, and they appear to have been able to reach hospital. According to our initial observations, the cyclone was particularly devastating in shantytowns, such as Kaweni, the country's largest, where some 17,000 people are crammed together, and where housing is very precarious. The inhabitants have lost everything and are already rebuilding their homes with their bare hands, sometimes without shoes or protection. As a result, we can already see wounds that present a risk of infection. Overall, it's clear that the basic needs are immense,” explains Yann Santin, emergency coordinator for MSF in Mayotte.
After large-scale natural disasters of this kind, the main needs that those affected may encounter, and which MSF teams are used to meeting, concern the restoration of access to water, hygiene and sanitation, psychological support for victims, access to primary healthcare, via mobile clinics for example, and the prevention of diarrheal diseases - such as cholera, for which there was already a risk of resurgence after this summer's epidemic.
The inhabitants of the destroyed shantytowns were already living in very precarious conditions before the cyclone hit. We already know that the government's response will not be able to cover all their needs in the time required. We are ready to send an extended team to refine our needs assessment and provide additional support.
- Yann Santin, MSF emergency coordinator in Mayotte
The health situation in Mayotte was already very critical before the cyclone hit. According to the French National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE), two-thirds of the population live below the poverty line, one-third have no access to drinking water, and there are major problems of access to healthcare, particularly for foreigners living in the territory.
Between May and September 2024, MSF provided assistance in response to a cholera epidemic. The team supported health promotion activities in the villages of Kaweni, Passamainty, Vahibé and Mirereni, as well as water, sanitation and hygiene initiatives.
