President Emmanuel Macron France will recognise a state of natural disaster for Guadeloupe following heavy rain tied to the powerful storm Fiona caused flooding in the French Caribbean island.
Adding that he had asked junior Overseas Territories Minister Jean-Francois Carenco to head to Guadeloupe, Macron tweeted “In the aftermath of storm Fiona my thoughts go to Guadeloupe, to our compatriot who was swept away and to all those affected. The state of natural disaster will be recognised and the aid fund for Overseas Territories mobilised.”
Après la tempête Fiona, mes pensées vont vers la Guadeloupe, vers notre compatriote emporté et tous les habitants touchés. L’état de catastrophe naturelle sera reconnu et le fonds de secours pour l’outre-mer mobilisé. J’ai demandé au ministre délégué de se rendre sur place.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) September 18, 2022
According to local authorities, a man was found dead on Saturday after his house was swept away by floods in the Basse-Terre district on Friday night.
Allowing access to insurance claims for natural disasters for residents and businesses who are cleaning up and starting to repair the property, the official recognition of natural disasters speeds up the aid process.
Also read | Puerto Rico prepares to brave hurricane Fiona as it nears closer
Threatening to cause “catastrophic flooding” and knock out all power, Hurricane Fiona barreled toward Puerto Rico’s coast on Sunday.
As it moves toward Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic before heading north into the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Fiona is forecast to strengthen further in the next 48 hours.
Authorising the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide assistance, US President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency for Puerto Rico on Sunday as Fiona approached the island.
With more than 388,000 people without electricity, power outages were hitting Puerto Rico even before the full force of Hurricane Fiona struck.
(With inputs from agencies)
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