People shouted “Macron resign”, “you’re talking nonsense” and “water, water, water” as he inspected damaged areas.

During his visit to the Mamoudzou hospital centre, the AFP news agency reported that one woman told Macron: “Nobody feels safe here… people are fighting over water.”

“Your services are overwhelmed,” one man at the hospital told Macron, according to Reuters. “Help has not reached where I live.”

But others said they were grateful for Macron’s visit and urged him to stay for longer.

The territory, located north of Madagascar, is the poorest part of France. It suffers from extensive social and economic problems, including high rates of illegal immigration from neighbouring Comoros and poor-quality housing and public services.

Migrants are believed to have been amongst those worst affected by the cyclone.

A state of exceptional natural disaster has been declared, allowing administrative barriers to be overcome in order to deal with the crisis more quickly and effectively.

It has been activated for one month, but can be extended by periods of two months if required.