Cyclone Chido struck Mayotte on December 14, 2024, causing widespread devastation across the islands, particularly on Grande Terre. Satellite images reveal a stark transformation from lush green landscapes to barren brown terrain as hurricane-force winds wreaked havoc, ripping roofs from homes, toppling utility poles, and uprooting an array of trees, including a 300-year-old baobab. The cyclone’s impact on infrastructure was severe, damaging vital facilities such as the airport, hospitals, and roads, disrupting electricity, water supply, and communications.
Ecology expert Jess Zimmerman noted that the vegetation damage was especially pronounced on the hillsides near Mamoudzou, where high winds stripped trees of leaves and snapped branches, making them vulnerable to uprooting. Agricultural losses were significant, with crops like bananas destroyed, threatening local food security. The European Commission identified extensive damage in the northeast region where the storm made landfall. Ultimately, the cyclone impacted both the natural environment and the human systems that depend on it, underscoring the vulnerability of ecosystems and communities to severe tropical storms in the southwest Indian Ocean.
