French prime minister unveils recovery plan for devastated Mayotte after Cyclone Chido

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This article was published 30/12/2024 (345 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

PARIS (AP) — French Prime Minister François Bayrou arrived Monday in the Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte to unveil a recovery plan three weeks after Cyclone Chido brought devastation.

Bayrou, recently appointed as prime minister, also updated the death toll to 39 but urged caution, saying the final number could range from “a few dozen to a few hundred.”

Days after the cyclone, Mayotte’s prefect, François-Xavier Bieuville, had warned of the possibility of “several hundred or even a few thousand” deaths.

Bayrou’s visit follows that of French President Emmanuel Macron as some Mayotte residents have alleged that the French government had long neglected them. The prime minister said a draft emergency law aiming to rebuild Mayotte within two years will be submitted to parliament in January.

And he said local authorities agreed to ban the rebuilding of informal settlements, home to an unknown number of migrants from African nations in the region who hope to make their way to Europe. Many of the makeshift homes were torn apart by the storm.

Bayrou outlined plans to restore electricity to all homes by late January, supported by 200 workers and emergency generators. Water production is expected to reach pre-cyclone levels by Jan. 6, with upgrades to the distribution network set for completion by mid-2025.

He also announced the deployment of 200 Starlink antennas for emergency communications.

Education also faces disruption, with many schools destroyed. Classes will resume Jan. 13, with special provisions for exam students. Temporary schooling in mainland France is also being considered.

In Mozambique, also hit by Cyclone Chido, the National Institute of Risk and Disaster Management said Sunday that 94 people had been killed. Malawi’s presidential office said the death toll there had risen to 13.