Cyclone Chido relief effort

Cyclone Chido developed in the central Indian Ocean and headed west, just north of Madagascar, passing directly over Mayotte on 13 Dec, onwards just south of the Comoros and slammed into the north east coast of Mozambique, just south of Pemba, around Natuco in Cabo Delgado on 14 Dec. It continued westwards towards southern Malawi, gradually decreasing in strength.

The main hospital in Mamoudzou lost 40% of its beds and 50% of its capability during the Cyclone and 3 temporary aid stations have been set up on Mayotte’s main island, Grande-Terre.

Aid has been slow to arrive from the French government and President Macron was given a rough ride during a visit a week after the disaster. However, teams from the French NGO Acted chartered an aircraft to bring a first batch of 700 tents and associated field kitchens to Mayotte, which should be running by Christmas Day, with an additional 10,000 tents in France, awaiting funding for it to deploy them. In response to a French request for assistance, Belgium, Germany, Italy and Sweden offered shelter and other items via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism on 20 Dec.

By 27 Dec a temporary control tower had been re-established at Dzaoudzi–Pamandzi International Airport on Petite-Terre, to replace the one destroyed.

Meanwhile, in Mozambique, ahead of Cyclone Chido, aircraft from the UN WFP-managed United Nations Air Service were positioned outside Pemba. Flights resumed on 18 Dec to all destinations, including the districts of Mueda, Mocímboa da Praia, Ibo, Palma and Macomia, which enabled immediate assistance including emergency food, shelter, cooking utensils, water-treatment products and other essentials to be moved to affected districts.