France’s Mayotte struggles to recover as cyclone overwhelms hospitals

Associated Press

MAMOUDZOU, Mayotte (AP) — A week after Cyclone Chido ravaged Mayotte, France’s poorest territory, the island remains in crisis. Hospitals are overwhelmed and doctors warning of mounting risks of epidemics like cholera due to the lack of clean water and electricity. Thirty-five people have been confirmed dead in Mayotte but French Health Minister Geneviève Darrieussecq has warned that any estimates were likely major undercounts. Doctors fear that the lack of clean water and electricity — compounded by overcrowded living conditions — is setting the stage for a health crisis. Efforts to deliver emergency aid including airlifts of water and food are underway but the scale of the need is staggering.