Mega-Disaster Cyclone That Might Have Killed Thousands On Island Strangely Ignored

Death and devastation on the island of Mayotte, north
of Madagascar after a devastating cyclone hit this week.

A powerful cyclone struck the tiny island Mayotte, possibly killing more than a thousand people, but so far, it hasn't really been in the news much for some reason.  

That's a surprise, given the magnitude of the disaster. 

Mayotte is a French territory off the east coast of Africa, a little north of Madagascar and east of northern Mozambique. To be honest, it's the first time I've heard of this place, and I'm good at geography. It's too bad this new knowledge came because of a tragedy. 

The cyclone was the most powerful to hit the island in more than a century.  Abnormally warm water on the path of the approaching storm fueled the storm, making is stronger than it otherwise would be. The island is heavily populated, and impoverished. The combination looks like it proved lethal.

From the Associated Press:

"Mayotte resident Fahar Abdoulhamidi described the aftermath as chaotic. In Mamoudzou, the capital, destruction was total - schools, hospitals, restaurants and offices were in ruins. Roofs were ripped from homes, and palm trees were half-shorn from winds that exceeded 136 mph, according to the French weather service."

At last report, rescuers were searching for victims and bodies, but some areas were still inaccessible to emergency teams. 

The potential death toll was made worse because many ignored cyclone warnings in the day before it hit, apparently underestimating its power, reports the AP.

"'Nobody believed it would be that big,' Abdoulhamidi told the Associated Press by phone. 'Those who live in bangs stayed in despite the cyclone, fearing their homes would be looted,' he said, referring to the island's informal settlements." 

Estimates of how many people died range widely in the hundreds or thousands. We might never know how many people were lost in the cyclone. Officials said it would be hard to count the deaths and many won't ever be recorded, in large part because of the Muslim tradition of burying people with 24 hours. 

The Washington Post offers more context as to why the death toll is likely so high:

"The damage is feared to be especially severe in the slums of Mayotte, where many undocumented immigrants live. Estelle Youssouffa, a member of France's National Assembly representing Mayotte, tweeted Sunday that shantytowns have been 'razed' and some of their inhabitants engulfed in mud and sheet metal' Most of the houses there were stripped of their roofs, she said, and there was no electricity, water or food."

France is rushing rescuers to the island, but it might be too little too late.

Cyclones, which is the name for hurricanes in the region, are fairly common in the southwestern Indian Ocean and frequently hit spots like Madagascar and eastern Africa.  This one was the 22nd documented cyclone to pass within 30 nautical miles of Mayotte, but obviously, it was the worst in a century or so.

Even with this relative frequency of cyclones, climate change is rearing its ugly head in this cyclone region. 

WaPo again: 

"'The intensity of tropical cyclones in the southwest Indian Ocean has been increasing, and this is consistent with what scientists expect in a changing climate - warmer oceans fuel more powerful storms,' said Liz Stephens, a professor of climate risks and resilience at the University of Reading in Britain."

Unfortunately, Mayotte probably won't be the last huge cyclone tragedy we'll see in or near Africa in the coming years.  

Drone video shows the devastation on Mayotte. Click on this link to view, or if you see the image below, click on that: