In Mayotte, evacuation operations continue for priority people to Reunion. Hundreds of people leave the archipelago every day on planes, in complicated and highly supervised evacuations. The gendarmerie is on site and you have to be on the lists to be able to board. Carmen is pregnant and an English teacher in Bandrele in the south of Mayotte. She was able to be evacuated on Monday December 23.
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Carmen is seven months pregnant and with her wife Jade, they had no choice but to leave Mayotte to save the baby. “ It was the doctors who told me, you need to get out. We cannot manage neonatal births. With a premature birth, my child will not be able to be taken care of. I sacrificed my child by staying in Mayotte “, she told RFI.
Priority, she does not receive communication about her departure. Head to the airport. She was told that she had to leave the day before. Today, she is no longer on the list. Fortunately, the rectorate made calls and she was able to board Reuniona relief. “ It’s okay, we’re happy to be in a place where we have hospitals “.
Support that reassures
In Reunion, the two future mothers stayed with friends, but leaving Mayotte was very difficult, as Carmen recalls: “ Mayotte is still our home, so it was difficult to leave. It still moves us a little because it’s true that we leave the people there, we leave our house. This is our first decision as parents. »
In less than two months, Carmen is due to give birth. In mainland France, if possible, before returning to Mayotte, his island.
Some cannot leave Mayotte
On site, it is very difficult to board one of the planes providing evacuations to Reunion. Even when residents have lost everything. This is the case of Jennifer, a librarian professor at the Bouéni college in the south of the archipelago, who is unable to leave.
They evacuate people according to priorities, illness, children, injury, otherwise a toll-free number is given to us
Jennifer, teacher in Mayotte who lost everything and cannot leave
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