France's Mayotte struggles to recover as cyclone overwhelms hospitals
A week after Cyclone Chido ravaged Mayotte, France’s poorest territory, the island remains in crisis
MAMOUDZOU, Mayotte (AP) — One week after its worst cyclone in nearly a century, and a day after a testy presidential visit, France’s impoverished Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte is still grappling with counting the dead, restoring essential services and aiding a beleaguered population.
Cyclone Chido wreaked devastation across the archipelago. Already stretched thin, hospitals are overwhelmed with patients suffering not only from cyclone-related injuries but also from dehydration, malnutrition and disease.
At Mayotte’s main hospital in the capital, Mamoudzou, doctors faced a cascade of crises.
“We lost 40% of patient rooms, about 50 to 60 beds,” said Dr. Roger Serhal, chief of the obstetrics and gynecology department. “There are so many patients coming to the hospital, and we don’t have space to admit them.”
