France is organizing a day of national mourning after Cyclone Chido devastated the territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean earlier this month.
French President Emmanuel Macron called for the national commemoration during his visit to the island last week – where he was jeered by some islanders who criticized the slow delivery of aid.
Hundreds, possibly thousands, of people are feared killed when Chido made landfall off the southeast coast of Africa on December 14, with winds of up to 160mph and 250mm of rain in the first 24 hours.
People across France will pay tribute and flags will be flown at half-mast in a show of solidarity in cities including Paris, Marseille and Lyon.
More than a week after the storm, survivors are struggling without water, communications and electricity as rescuers try to provide urgently needed assistance.
Mayotte, located between the African mainland and Madagascar, was already the most impoverished area in France before the cyclone.
Chido – the worst storm to hit the archipelago in 90 years – has flattened areas where people live in huts with sheet metal roofs, leaving behind fields of dirt and debris.
French officials say at least 31 people have been killed, but the death toll is expected to be much higher and thousands are still missing.
After Mayotte, the storm hit the African mainland, killing at least 94 people in Mozambique and 13 in Malawi.
Macron vowed to rebuild the island’s destroyed infrastructure and homes after his visit.
After touring the region in a helicopter to see the devastation, he said Thursday was a day he would never forget.
During the visit, he was harassed and faced calls to resign from locals demanding more aid in the devastated areas.
Macron responded by telling locals: “I had nothing to do with the cyclone. You can blame me, but it wasn’t me.”
Prime Minister François Bayrou said the Mayotte tragedy was probably the worst natural disaster in French history in recent centuries.
More than 100,000 people remain in Red Cross shelters after their homes were destroyed.
