Disaster That Shook Mayotte to Its Core

Equivalent to a category 4 hurricane, 136 MPH Cyclone Chido hit Mayotte as hard as expected.

Mayotte is a tiny island, 144 square mile French territory in the Indian Ocean reeling from a direct hit from Cyclone Chido, the strongest storm to hit the island in 90 years. Entire neighborhoods have disappeared, along with entire families.

With winds exceeding 136 mph, equivalent to a category four hurricane, on Sunday December 15, 2024, Cyclone Chido caused major destruction causing upwards of 1,000 deaths leaving 80% of the population homeless. 

Nearly 84% of residents were already living under the poverty level before Cyclone Chido hit the small island. The infrastructure was very weak on the island to begin with, and there’s also a food and water shortage. The death to will be hard to figure because there is no communication and little resources on the island.

Located between Madagascar and Mozambique, Mayotte has deep ties to Africa geographically and culturally but remains politically linked to France. 

Its population has around 45% of asylum seekers from neighboring African nations such as Madagascar, Mozambique, and as far as way as Somalia. Mayotte’s status as a French territory makes it a hotspot for illegal immigration. 

In 2024, Mayotte has a population of approximately 321,000 people, making it one of the most densely populated regions under French administration. To provide a comparative perspective, this is similar in size to St. Louis, Missouri, which has a population of about 319,000 residents.

A cyclone, hurricane, and typhoon are all the same weather phenomenon, tropical storms. They are powerful winds and heavy rain but their names change based on where they occur. 

Hurricane is used in the Atlantic and Northeast Pacific, typhoon in the Northwest Pacific, and cyclone in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean.

To the people of Mayotte, let this be our guiding strength: even in the fiercest storm, our roots remain unshaken. Together, with unity and resolve, we will rebuild all that the winds have taken.”

The French government has promised a massive response to the residence of the tiny island as freshwater and food and medical care is scarce, and the spreading of cholera and other illnesses and diseases is a major threat.

Cyclone Chido hit Mayotte harder than expected due to its unprecedented intensity, with winds exceeding 136 miles per hour and the island’s vulnerabilities, such as poor infrastructure and overcrowding. 

Mayotte’s high population density and widespread poverty exacerbated the impact, as many homes were not built to withstand such extreme weather. 

Majority, geographic factors, like Mayotte’s location in the cyclone prone Mozambique Channel, and a lack of sufficient disaster preparedness, left the island ill-equipped for a storm of this magnitude.

The Mozambique Channel where Mayotte is located is particularly vulnerable to intense cyclones, as its warm waters and geographical position create ideal conditions for these storms to strengthen rapidly, similar to hurricanes in other tropical regions.