France's President Emmanuel Macron traveled Thursday to the Indian Ocean archipelago of Mayotte to survey the devastation that Cyclone Chido wrought across the French territory as thousands of people tried to cope without the bare essentials such as water or electricity.

A state of exceptional natural disaster has been declared in Mayotte as the French Indian Ocean territory reels from the devastation of Cyclone Chido. At least 31 people are reported by French officials to have died, while thousands are still missing after the cyclone tore through the small islands on Saturday.

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in the French territory of Mayotte on Thursday to assess damage from the most powerful storm to hit the area in nearly a century.