After the devastating passage of intense tropical cyclone Chido over the weekend, the Red Cross Society of Seychelles (RCSS), alongside the Indian Ocean Regional Intervention Platform (PIROI) – Croix-Rouge française is launching an appeal for donations to assist in the ongoing efforts being carried out to help the thousands of people affected.
Donations can be made via bank transfer on the RCSS DISASTER VICTIMS A/C 1069230 (ABSA BANK SEYCHELLES) with Reference: Appeal for Mayotte with the donations going towards the four priorities identified on the ground – food, water, hygiene products and shelter materials.
Additionally, international pledges to support Mayotte have been made, especially by the Indian Ocean Regional Intervention Platform (PIROI). Disaster Risk Management and Logistics Referrals have been deployed to Reunion to provide support to the teams on site where they will also be joined by technical advisors, specializing in operations management, from the headquarters of the French Red Cross – Croix-Rouge française.
From Reunion Island, PIROI has been mobilizing for several days. After the dispatch of logistics and risk management specialists last week, more than 30 tonnes of emergency equipment are ready to be transported as soon as conditions allow.
This ready-to-go emergency equipment includes:
• Reconstruction kits for housing (tarpaulins, extra tents, etc.)
• Solar terminals to charge phones and restore communications
• Essential hygiene kits (soaps, basic necessities, etc.).
From the island itself, the two hundred and fifty (250) volunteers of the French Red Cross in Mayotte are relentlessly organizing to restore their activities and help the inhabitants by mobilization teams on the ground for initial impact assessments as well as the deployment of additional human resources from mainland France and Réunion Island.
Cyclone Chido, a category 4 storm, tore through the southwestern Indian Ocean over the weekend, impacting northern Madagascar before rapidly intensifying and slamming Mayotte with winds above 220 kilometers per hour (136 miles per hour).
The damage has been considerable, marking one of the most destructive disasters in recent years. Twenty-one (21) deaths have been confirmed, with over nine hundred (900) people predicted to have lost their lives, thousands of people have been displaced, entire neighborhoods have been destroyed, and numerous structures have sustained significant damage. Schools, hospitals, and the airport’s control tower have all suffered significant damage as a result of the knocked-out electrical grids.
