24/7 Space News
DISASTER MANAGEMENT
French premier promises concrete aid for cyclone-hit Mayotte
French premier promises concrete aid for cyclone-hit Mayotte
By Baptiste PACE
Mamoudzou (AFP) Dec 30, 2024

French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou promised relief for Mayotte on Monday, saying he aimed to rebuild the Indian Ocean territory ravaged by Cyclone Chido within two years.

The most devastating cyclone to hit France's poorest department in 90 years caused colossal damage in mid-December, killing at least 39 people and injuring more than 5,600.

Authorities have warned the death toll could rise in the archipelago.

The people of Mayotte "often have the sentiment that what we bring them are assurances, pretty words of solidarity", Bayrou said after visiting a desalination plant.

But what they want is "concrete" action, he said.

After touring areas damaged by the cyclone and meeting local leaders, Bayrou presented dozens of measures in the outlines of a recovery plan that he dubbed "Mayotte standing".

One top priority was for electricity to be "restored to every home by the end of January," he said, promising that state-owned electricity provider EDF would send additional staff and 200 generators.

Two weeks after Cyclone Chido, emergency services are still trying to restore water, power and telecoms services.

"We're not so big here, Mayotte is 374 square kilometres (144 square miles)," said Ali Mohamed, a worker at the archipelago's main hospital.

"It should have been sorted out in two weeks. We've been abandoned, we can see it."

Bayrou had earlier vowed a "second phase" to the recovery plan that would aim to rebuild the archipelago within two years.

"It's not just about rebuilding Mayotte as it was. It's about designing a different future for Mayotte," he added.

Ministers will approve an emergency draft law on reconstruction as early as Friday before its presentation to parliament, Bayrou said on Monday evening, with a longer-term plan set to come before MPs "within three months".

- Slums -

Estelle Youssouffa, a centrist MP representing Mayotte, said France's aid plan was insufficient to meet the needs of the territory's real population, which includes tens of thousands of undocumented migrants.

Mayotte's population stands officially at 320,000, but there are an estimated 100,000 to 200,000 more undocumented inhabitants living in shanty towns that were utterly destroyed by the cyclone.

Bayrou said there would be a "comprehensive and precise census of the population" and trailed further restrictions on the birthright citizenship law that applies on most French soil.

Right-wingers have long demanded an exemption for Mayotte, believing it could deter prospective immigrants, especially from The Comoros.

The right-wing mayor of the capital Mamoudzou, who has called for tougher controls on runaway population growth in Mayotte, showed Bayrou the devastated slums covering the hills around the city.

"We can't let people make the same mistakes and hope the outcome will be different," Ambdilwahedou Soumaila told him.

Both Paris and local authorities would work to "forbid and prevent the reconstruction of shanty towns," Bayrou said as he laid out his recovery plan.

The prime minister had arrived with 2.5 tonnes of aid supplies aboard his plane.

He visited a field hospital and a secondary school in a slum that had been looted after the cyclone.

Troops and police would be deployed to guard schools against such raids, Bayrou said.

He was accompanied to Mayotte by a large delegation of officials, including Education Minister Elisabeth Borne and Manuel Valls, the new overseas territories minister.

The 73-year-old Bayrou, only recently appointed prime minister, had faced criticism for chairing a local council meeting in his home city of Pau in southern France while Mayotte grappled with the aftermath of the deadly cyclone.

Related Links
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
A world of storm and tempest
When the Earth Quakes

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Japan's Wajima craftmakers see hope in disaster-hit region
Wajima, Japan (AFP) Dec 29, 2024
Lacquerware maker Takaho Shoji hunches over his desk in the disaster-hit city of Wajima in central Japan, applying another layer of coating to a dark, wooden box. One brushstroke at a time, the 53-year-old is determined to bring life back to his remote community after a devastating New Year's Day earthquake, followed by severe floods. "I need to do whatever I can to move forward with the reconstruction, and to continue this tradition and pass it on to the next generations," said the soft-spoken ... read more

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Five Ways to Explore NASA's Portfolio of Technologies with TechPort 4.0

More NASA science and technology set for Lunar delivery with Firefly Aerospace

Vast and SpaceX to launch two human spaceflight missions to ISS

NASA and Axiom Space accelerate plans for free-flying space station

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
First integration of European reusable stage demonstrator Themis

China's CERES 1 rocket launches satellites from sea

Second Ariane 6 components assembled at Europe's Spaceport

SpaceX scrubs launch from Florida, but one lifts off from California

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Evidence exists for hidden water reservoirs and rare magmas on ancient Mars

University of Houston scientists solving meteorological mysteries on Mars

Frosty landscape captured at Mars' South Pole

Perseverance blasts past the top of Jezero Crater rim

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
China's space journey continues apace

Shenzhou XIX crew completes successful spacewalk outside Tiangong station

China boosts Lunar and Mars mission capabilities with advanced Long March rockets

Long March 12 set for inaugural launch from Hainan space center

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Space Flight Laboratory confirms launch and deployment of HawkEye 360 Cluster 11

Sidus Space LizzieSat 2 set for launch on SpaceX Bandwagon 2 mission

Reflex Aerospace ships first commercial satellite SIGI for launch

Space42 signs major contract with UAE govt for satellite services and capacity expansion

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Transforming education with virtual reality and artificial intelligence

Unlocking new potential in 2D superconducting polymers

New method turns e-waste to gold

Materials with unexpected electronic properties found in twisted layers

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Living in the deep, dark, slow lane: Insights from the first global appraisal of microbiomes in Earth's subsurface environments

Young planet's atmosphere challenges traditional formation models

New study uncovers variety in Arctic Ocean hydrothermal vent systems

The light of TRAPPIST-1 b analyzed at two wavelengths reveals key insights into its nature

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Texas A and M researchers illuminate the mysteries of icy ocean worlds

Jovian vortex hunter catalog reveals stunning insights into Jupiter's atmosphere

Juno identifies localized magma chambers driving Io's volcanic activity

NASA marks ten years of Hubble's Outer Planets Survey

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.