Prince Albert II expresses support for Mayotte following Cyclone Chido
© Prince's Palace of Monaco
Prince Albert II sent a compassionate message of solidarity to French President Emmanuel Macron following the terrible destruction caused by cyclone Chido in Mayotte on Saturday 14 December.
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As the Mayotte archipelago slowly recovers from the terrible damage caused by cyclone Chido, messages of support are pouring in from all quarters. Among them was an official dispatch from the Monegasque Sovereign, addressed directly to French President Emmanuel Macron, which was published on Monday 16 December.
Prince Albert II, deeply moved by the scale of the tragedy, wrote: “It was with profound sadness that I learned of the terrible destruction caused by the passage of cyclone Chido through Mayotte.” The message, written on behalf of his family and the people of Monaco, expresses the solidarity of the Principality with the victims, the missing and their loved ones.
The Sovereign continued: “Our thoughts are also with the injured, with all those who lost their homes in this disaster, and we salute the valour of the rescue workers.”
With the French archipelago cut off and reeling from the impact of the cyclone, the moral support of international figures such as Prince Albert II is a gesture of hope. ” You may rest assured, Mr President, of our wholehearted solidarity and unfailing support at this very difficult time “, concluded the Prince of Monaco.
Scenes of chaos and shock
Mayotte, France’s poorest Département, is located in the Indian Ocean. It took the full blast of cyclone Chido, one of the most violent to hit the archipelago for almost a century. Residents, who had been confined to their homes as far as possible during the storm, discovered the extent of the destruction at daybreak.
Across the island, roads are now impassable and many communication lines are cut off, making it even more difficult to deliver aid. Winds of over 220 km/h disfigured the landscape and left a trail of destruction.
The French authorities, still in shock, fear a particularly heavy toll. Although information is piecemeal due to communication outages and access difficulties, estimates already suggest “several hundred deaths, perhaps several thousand,” as feared by the outgoing Interior and Overseas Territories Ministers Bruno Retailleau and François-Noël Buffet.