France will hold a day of national mourning in the wake of Cyclone Chido, which devastated its Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte earlier this month.
President Emmanuel Macron announced the nationwide remembrance during his visit to the island last week, where he faced jeers from some residents criticizing the delayed delivery of aid.
Cyclone Chido, which struck Mayotte on December 14, brought winds of up to 260 km/h (160 mph) and 250 mm of rainfall in just 24 hours. It is feared that hundreds, possibly thousands, of lives were lost as the storm made landfall off Africa's southeast coast.
Across France, people will pay tribute, with flags flown at half-mast in cities such as Paris, Marseille, and Lyon to express solidarity.
Over a week after the disaster, survivors in Mayotte are grappling with severe shortages of water, communication, and electricity as rescuers work tirelessly to provide critical assistance.
Mayotte, already France's poorest territory before the cyclone, suffered catastrophic damage. Chido, the most destructive storm to hit the archipelago in 90 years, razed makeshift homes with metal-sheet roofs and left landscapes littered with dirt and debris.
French officials have confirmed at least 31 deaths, but the actual toll is expected to rise sharply, with thousands still missing. After ravaging Mayotte, the storm moved on to the African mainland, claiming at least 94 lives in Mozambique and 13 in Malawi.
During his visit to Mayotte, Macron pledged to rebuild the island's shattered infrastructure and homes. After surveying the destruction by helicopter, he called it a day he would never forget. However, his visit was met with protests, with some locals heckling him and calling for his resignation.
In response to criticisms, Macron remarked, "I had nothing to do with the cyclone. You can blame me, but it wasn’t me."
Prime Minister François Bayrou described the tragedy in Mayotte as likely the worst natural disaster in French history in recent centuries.
Currently, more than 100,000 people remain in Red Cross shelters after losing their homes to the storm.
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