Well, Tropical Cyclone CHIDO certainly packed a punch when it hit the Island of Mayotte last weekend. Slightly conflicting reports were issued suggesting the death toll was small or possibly as many as a thousand and clarity has not been achieved as far as I can see.
The problem is that there may be as many as 100000 unregistered or illegal inhabitants on the island, and they are certainly not going to report their dead for fear of being booted off the island. The majority of the inhabitants are of the Muslim Faith, who, by custom, wish to bury their dead on the same day, and so keeping track of casualties may prove to be difficult.
The storm hit Mayotte on December 14 with winds exceeding 220 km/h, causing damage described as catastrophic by local authorities, including disruptions to electricity, water, and communications, while key infrastructures like hospitals, the airport, and roads were severely affected. The peak of the phenomenon occurred at 9.00 AM (local time), accompanied by heavy rainfall and destructive swells.
Very soon after the storm, a message went out requesting certain HF frequencies to be kept clear. Greg Mossop G0DUB of IARU Region One repeated the call, but later rescinded it, because the source of the request was not confirmed as official, and in any case, there are no radio amateurs on Mayotte.
Later, French assistance groups brought two radio amateurs to the island, with the aim of keeping VHF and UHF frequency communications going and providing WiFi coverage for the island, but no mention of HF was made. Apparently Jef, call-sign F5FS, reported that before the cyclone hit the island the authorities had deployed a large number of satellite phones so they were still able to maintain contact with Paris.
Anyway, having left Mayotte in disaster, CHIDO ploughed on into Mozambique, bringing torrential rains and powerful winds that devastated communities in Cabo Delgado, Nampula, and Niassa provinces. The storm destroyed homes and public infrastructure, displaced thousands, and severely damaged roads and communication networks, hampering relief efforts in areas that were already hosting approximately 300,000 forcibly displaced persons by conflict.
While the full extent of the damage remains unclear, the National Institute for Disaster Management (INGD) estimates a total of 181,554 people impacted, as of 17 December 2024. More than 36,000 houses were completely or partially destroyed. In some villages, very few houses remain standing. Years of conflict, forced displacement, and economic hardship have left communities in the region increasingly vulnerable. For many displaced families, the cyclone has caused renewed hardship, washing away what little they had managed to rebuild.
And on Tuesday the 17th a magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck just off the coast of Vanuata, threatening the lives of 116000 people on the island. Reliefweb.int says that preliminary reports indicate observed damages to buildings and infrastructure in Port Vila, with six unconfirmed casualties and injuries reported. Telecommunications remain disrupted and this is affecting the timeliness of field reports from remote areas. Access to the airport and water port is severely limited due to road damage.
As of 18th December, NDMO confirmed 14 fatalities either from collapsed buildings or landslides. The numbers may rise as search and rescue operations intensify and expand. Over 200 are reported injured while many are still missing. According to UNICEF staff on the ground, most injuries are fractures, cuts and trauma related to falling objects and sharp items. According to NDMO, two major water reservoirs in Port Vila are severely damaged and the airport is currently closed to all commercial flights.
I have received some more happy news from Keith Lowes ZS5WFD, of KZN, reporting on the Upper Highway Trail Marathon, which took place on 7th December. He writes that HAMNET KZN once again partnered with S.T.A.R.T Rescue to assist with communications for this annual event. S.T.A.R.T (Specialised Tactical Accident Rescue Team) and 9 HAMNET KZN members were deployed, 2 of whom are active members of the S.T.A.R.T Rescue team anyway, being Chris ZS5W and Justin ZS5JW. They were pleased to be joined by Alan ZS5AJA from Port Edward who was undertaking his first event with HAMNET KZN.
A Joint Operations Centre (JOC) was established at the beautiful finish venue of Camp Orchards in Hillcrest which was manned by Provincial Director Keith Lowes ZS5WFD for HAMNET and Jason Putter for the S.T.A.R.T Rescue team members. HAMNET made use of the Highway Amateur Radio Club’s 145.7625 repeater situated in Kloof and 145.550 Simplex which gave them excellent coverage of the whole route. This took runners through 7 nature conservancies, 6 river eco-systems, 3 waterfalls and some of the most beautiful trails in the area.
95 runners started the 42Km race at 05H30 with 5 Water Points, whilst 248 runners started the 21Km event at 06H00 with 2 Water Points on route. Weather was ideal with cloudy/overcast conditions and light rain for the duration.
Only 2 incidents were reported, the first being a pedestrian knocked down in the vicinity of the Krantzkloof Nature Reserve Picnic Site. The patient was stabilised and transported to hospital by Red Line Ambulance Services. The second involved a runner who was suffering from dehydration and severe muscle cramps and needed to be extracted by START Rescue using a Stokes basket stretcher and rope rescue system as he was not able to climb the steep wooden trail ladder to reach the road level. The patient was successfully brought out in just under an hour and transported to hospital for further treatment.
This was their final sporting event for the year, and Keith says thank you to his HAMNET KZN team for their dedication and loyal support during the year. He ends by saying “You may take a well-earned break with your families but please remain vigilant and be available should a call for HAMNET’S assistance be received during the festive period.”
Keith’s greetings to his team are echoed by me, as I take the opportunity to wish you all a peaceful and happy Christmas, if appropriate, with your families, and a prosperous and healthy 2025. Let’s all remain radio-active, and aware of our commitment to assist where needed in disaster, accident or happy event, when asked to do so. Let’s not confine the spirit of giving only to physical presents to our nearest and dearest, but also to acts of kindness and comradeship to our fellow creatures, human or otherwise, without desire for recognition or compensation.
This is Dave Reece ZS1DFR reporting for HAMNET in South Africa.