A state of exceptional natural disaster was declared in the overseas department late Wednesday night.
French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Mayotte on Thursday amid fears that the death toll in the poorest French department could climb further in the coming days.
In a statement released late Wednesday, the caretaker minister for overseas Francois-Noel Buffet announced the activation of the state of the exceptional natural disaster in Mayotte to facilitate faster and more effective crisis management and implement emergency measures.
"Faced with this exceptional situation, exceptional resources must be deployed to quickly restore vital services and implement a sustainable reconstruction plan for Mayotte," he said.
He emphasized that the declaration enables faster and more effective responses from both local and national authorities while easing certain administrative processes for expedited action in Mayotte.
On Tuesday, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) expressed alarm over more than 200 of its volunteers feared missing after the cyclone ravaged the islands.
Mayotte, located in the northern Mozambique Channel of the Indian Ocean, is an overseas department and region of France. Situated off the southeastern coast of Africa, it lies between northwestern Madagascar and northeastern Mozambique.
- Mayotte
- Cyclone
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
