Macron visited Mayotte as thousands of people are still missing after the storm

Landing on Petite Terre, Mayotte’s smaller island, the level of devastation from Cyclone Chida is immediately apparent.

It’s hard to exaggerate how completely devastated the landscape of this French Indian Ocean territory is after the storm that hit the islands on Saturday.

The hills that were once covered with coconut trees now look barren and black. Leaves are torn from trees, their trunks are horizontal.

The airport’s signal tower was damaged by 220 km/h winds.

Even the hotel closest to the airport – a solid structure and one of the few places on the island with working Wi-Fi and electricity – has a badly damaged roof and broken windows.

French officials say at least 31 people have died, but thousands are still missing and there are fears the death toll could rise sharply.

A state of emergency has been declared in what is one of the poorest parts of France, with many residents living in informal settlements.

Similar scenes of devastation on Mayotte’s other main island, Grand Terre, greeted French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday morning as he arrived with four tonnes of food and medical aid.

But as he surveys the damage, some say the level of destruction here is a direct result of his underinvestment in the island.

With its government now in disarray and France embroiled in a fierce debate over migration, Mayotte has found itself at the center of both a political and physical storm.

The thousands of illegal migrants on the island have long been a conundrum for the French government, and now some in France argue that giving the territory too much aid will encourage more migrants to come.

Meanwhile, residents of France’s poorest department are still waiting for food, water and shelter.

When we landed, there was a heavy downpour, which filled the buildings with water, the roofs of which were washed away.

This is just one example of some of the difficulties that the people of Mayotte have been living with for almost a week.

The state of emergency declared in Mayotte is intended for France’s overseas territories to allow administrative barriers to be overcome to resolve the crisis more quickly and effectively.

It has been activated for one month but can be extended for two months if needed.

“Faced with this exceptional situation, exceptional resources must be deployed to quickly restore vital services and implement Mayotte’s sustainable reconstruction plan,” said Minister responsible for Overseas Territories, François-Noël Buffet.

Emergency services are delivering food and water and clearing roads while searching for missing people.

Health workers are concerned about the possible spread of infectious diseases as residents report a shortage of clean drinking water and shops limit supplies.

The authorities have said that their priority is to restore the damaged water plants.

Half of the territory remains without electricity. A curfew has recently been introduced requires people to stay in their homes for six hours a night to prevent the possibility of robbery.

desire – the strongest storm to hit the archipelago in 90 years – brought winds of more than 225 km/h (140 mph) on Saturday, flattening areas where many live in informal buildings with sheet metal roofs and leaving fields of mud and debris.

After Mayotte, the storm hit the African mainland, killing at least 45 people in Mozambique and 13 in Malawi.