More than a week after the storm, survivors struggle without water, communications or electricity as rescuers scramble to provide urgently needed aid.
Mayotte, which lies between the African mainland and Madagascar, was already France’s poorest territory before the cyclone hit.
Chida is the strongest storm to hit the archipelago in 90 years, a flattened area where people live in shacks with metal roofs and abandoned fields of dirt and garbage.
French officials say at least 31 people have died, but the death toll is expected to be much higher, with thousands still missing.
After Mayotte, the storm hit the African mainland, at least 94 people died in Mozambique and 13 in Malawi.
