Aid rushed to the island of Mayotte, which was struck by the hurricane, and rescuers combed the rubble in search of survivors.

Emergency workers searched for survivors on Monday and scrambled to restore services on the island of Mayotte, France’s poorest overseas region, where hundreds or even thousands were feared to have been killed by the worst cyclone to hit the Indian Ocean islands in nearly a century.

Cyclone Chido devastated large parts of the archipelago off East Africa over the weekend with winds of more than 200 kilometers per hour, scattering homes on hillsides and cutting off telephones, electricity and drinking water.

With the areas still difficult to reach, Acting French Interior Minister Bruno Retilio said it would take days to confirm the full extent of damage and deaths when he reaches the disaster area.

France sent teams and supplies to the stricken area to provide assistance in the wake of the hurricane, but the damage was exacerbated by years of poverty, for which France was criticized.

On Monday, residents lined up outside grocery stores in search of water and other necessities.

“It’s really a war zone. I don’t know anything anymore. There’s not even a tree, no hills, not a piece of grass anymore. It’s unusual,” Camille Couzon Abd Razak, a resident of the island of Mayotte, told Reuters via video call after her meeting. Power has been restored.

“I found an open store with water. There were still a few cartons of milk left, so I was able to buy a carton of milk for my baby and one for my friend next door’s baby.”

Teacher Hamada Ali described the mud-covered streets and trees. He added that people took refuge in schools and bottled water was used for cooking.

He added, “Houses with metal roofs were swept away by the hurricane.”

Communications were cut off in large parts of the region, leaving relatives abroad making frantic inquiries on social media. One said: “I need an update from Chikuni, please. My brother, sister-in-law and niece are there, I have had no news since Saturday.”

French President Emmanuel Macron is scheduled to hold an emergency meeting on Mayotte later on Monday. The French House of Representatives observed a minute of silence.

Acting Health Minister Genevieve Dariuszk said the main hospital in Mamoudzou was continuing operations after floodwaters destroyed surgical and intensive care units, while a field clinic would be set up and 100 additional paramedics deployed.

More than three-quarters of Mayotte’s population of 321,000 live in relative poverty. According to 2021 figures from statistics agency INSEE, the average annual disposable income on Mayotte is just over €3,000 ($3,150) per resident, almost eight times less than the Ile-de-France region surrounding Paris.

The largest storm in 90 years

The islands, which are close to the Comoros archipelago, were first under French control in 1841. Mayotte consists of two main islands on an area roughly twice the size of Washington, D.C.

It has suffered turmoil in recent years, with many residents angry about illegal immigration and inflation.

The region has become a stronghold for the far-right National Rally party, with 60 percent voting for Marine Le Pen in the 2022 presidential election runoff.

French meteorological agency Meteo France said Chido was the strongest storm to hit the island of Mayotte in more than 90 years.

Extreme weather events are becoming more common around the world, in keeping with global warming. Poor countries often say they bear the brunt of the environmental crisis despite emitting much less carbon dioxide than rich countries.

“It was clear that… when the hurricane hits… we will find ourselves in a situation,” left-wing MP Eric Cockerill told French radio LCI, adding that the devastation in Mayotte revealed a failure to prepare for the impact of climate change.

The region was already weakened by years of drought, exacerbated by a persistent lack of investment, which has drawn scrutiny over France’s management and support of its hinterland. In 2023, Mayotte experienced its driest year since 1997, with residents reporting that taps would only run one day out of three.

Across the region, hundreds of temporary homes were crushed and scattered by the tornado, according to photos from local media and French gendarmerie. Coconuts crashed through rooftops, boats overturned, cars were covered in debris, and people hid under tables as the hurricane struck.

“I was screaming because I could see the end approaching for me,” John Palouse, who lives in the capital, Mamoudzou, told Reuters.

Authorities said Cyclone Chido made landfall in northern Mozambique after Mayotte, where it weakened quickly and was reclassified as a tropical storm on Sunday, but destroyed several homes.

The governor of Mayotte, François-Xavier Beauville, said at the weekend that deaths would certainly be in the hundreds and perhaps several thousand.

French authorities said sea and air operations were underway to move relief supplies and equipment, including from Reunion Island, another French overseas territory.

Jean-Paul Bosland, president of France’s National Federation of Firefighters, said the main airport in Mayotte remained closed to civilian flights on Monday morning.