Reunion Islanders Rally to Help Cyclone-Hit Mayotte with Relief Donations

Communities on the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion are banding together to support the residents of cyclone-ravaged Mayotte, which is only a three-hour flight away. A continual stream of individuals can be seen delivering food, water, clothing, and other supplies to a community center in Saint Denis. They hope to fill a container and send it via military plane. Mayotte, an island in the Indian Ocean near the African coast, is one of France’s poorest regions.

It was battered over the weekend by its biggest hurricane in nearly a century, and authorities fear hundreds, if not thousands, of people killed. After Cyclone Chido wiped out entire neighborhoods, survivors trekked through debris-strewn streets in search of water and refuge. Anrafa Parassouramin, a volunteer with family in Mayotte, says the main concerns are getting food to people promptly and a lack of water.

“We are also afraid of disease outbreaks, because people are drinking water from wherever they can get it, and it’s not necessarily potable water,” she remarks. “We’ll reconstruct. Families are already assisting one another; there is a lot of camaraderie among all families, but it will be fantastic when state aid arrives as well.” With many portions of the island still unreachable, it could take days to determine the entire scale of the damage.

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