Monday, December 16

Hundreds of people are feared to be dead after Cyclone Chido pummeled the French island of Mayotte recently, and the storm has made landfall in the East African country of Mozambique.

Chido began as a tropical storm in the western Indian Ocean around a week ago, moving west at a steady pace. However, it rapidly strengthened along the way, increasing wind speeds from 45 mph to 140 mph in a mere two days. Last week, it made landfall on the Agálega Islands, a group of two islands controlled by Mauritius, with raging winds, but did minor damage due to the islands' small population of around 330 people. The cyclone maintained its strength as it approached the northern tip of Madagscar, brushing the region before moving into the northern Mozambique Channel.

Then, winds brought it onto a southwest course, where it continued until reaching the French territory of Mayotte. Mayotte, a small archipelago between Mozambique and Madagascar, is France's poorest overseas territory, with over 75% of residents living under the French poverty line. The island has a population of around 321,000 people, but around one-third are unemployed, and weak infrastructure, a struggling economy, and gang violence has crippled the island in recent years.

Unfortunately, Chido did not help those issues, bringing dangerous winds of over 130 mph and heavy rain to the archipelago. Buildings were blown off their foundations and trees were easily brought down by the ferocious winds, and the extreme flooding washed away debris, people, and animals. Chido is the strongest storm to impact the island in over 90 years.

Search-and-rescue teams are working with volunteers to attempt to find any survivors, and they have confirmed a preliminary death toll of 11 people. However, officials have stated that the toll is projected to skyrocket in the coming days, expected to easily pass 100 and even 1,000.

They do not expect to confirm an accurate death toll, though, for several reasons. Officials estimate that Mayotte is home to around 100,000 illegal immigrants, primarily from the nearby archipelago of Comoros. Comoros, similar to Mayotte, is struggling economically, and is one of the poorest countries in the world. This motivates residents to sail to Mayotte illegally, where they find a job and live secretly in the island's thick forests. Due to this, officials believe that many residents living in secret groups may not even ask for assistance out of fear that they will be arrested, leading to many deaths being left out.

In addition, 97% of Mayotte's population identifies as Muslim, which also hampers officials' prospects of establishing an accurate death toll. The Muslim faith believes that dead bodies should be buried as quickly as possible, preferably within 24 hours of the death. Because of this, officials know that by the time they reach some of the more secluded areas, many of the dead will already have been buried, preventing them from confirming an accurate count.

The nearby French island of Reúnion has sent aid by air and sea, and locals are working hard to save as many survivors as they can. Thousands of people were also injured during the cyclone, hundreds of which are critical condition. Additional aid and supplies have been sent to restore the island's supply of electricity and water, which has been dysfunctional since the storm hit. Officials are working to restore access to clean water as fast as possible, as cyclones like this often lead to large pools of dirty water that can lead to outbreaks of cholera and malaria.

Unfortunately, after Mayotte, Chido continued across the channel into northern Mozambique, where it arrived yesterday with raging winds of 115 mph. Houses and homes have already been devastated by its effects, as the cyclone slammed into the country's fourth-most populous province, Cabo Delgado, which has a population of over 2.3 million. The death toll currently stands at three, but it is also expected to steeply rise in the coming days as the true impact of the storm is revealed.

Upcoming Events:

• International Migrants Day (Wednesday, December 18)

• Arabic Language Day (Wednesday, December 18)

• International Human Solidarity Day (Friday, December 20)

• Winter Solstice (Saturday, December 21)

• World Basketball Day (Saturday, December 21)

• World Meditation Day (Saturday, December 21)

Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): Bosnia and Herzegovina have the tallest people in the world, with the average male citizen having a height of around 183.9 cm (72.4 in). This is primarily attributed to the country's Dinaric Alps region, which has the tallest people in the world-- male citizens in the Dinaric Alps have an average height of 185.6 cm (73.1 in).

Quote of the Day: Worry is like sand in an oyster: a little produces a pearl, too much kills the animal.

(Marcelene Cox)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Cavalier (adj, pronounced kav-uh-LEER)- Someone described as cavalier shows no concern for important or serious matters. Cavalier also describes attitudes, manners, etc., that show the same lack of concern.

In a Sentence: The company provides regular training about the dangers of being cavalier in sharing privileged information.