PARIS (AP) 鈥� French Prime Minister Fran莽ois Bayrou arrived Monday in the Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte to unveil a recovery plan three weeks after brought devastation.
Bayrou, , also updated the death toll to 39 but urged caution, saying the final number could range from 鈥渁 few dozen to a few hundred.鈥�
Days after the cyclone, Mayotte鈥檚 prefect, Fran莽ois-Xavier Bieuville, had warned of the possibility of 鈥渟everal hundred or even a few thousand鈥� deaths.
Bayrou鈥檚 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 within two years will be submitted to parliament in January.
And he said local authorities agreed to ban the rebuilding of , 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.
, 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鈥檚 presidential office said the death toll there had risen to 13.
The Associated Press
