French President Macron rushes to Irma-torn Saint Martin, gives out food and water to the locals

NewsBharati    12-Sep-2017
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Paris, September 12: French President Emmanuel Macron arrives in Guadeloupe on Tuesday before travelling on to Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy to inspect storm damage and relief operations as his government comes under fire for its handling of Hurricane Irma. 
 
Irma tore through Saint Barthélemy and Saint Martin last Wednesday, killing at least nine people on the French side of an island France shares with the Netherlands and destroying houses, disrupting electrical power and cutting off the water supply. Additional troops had to be sent in to stop looting in the wake of the storm. The damage from Hurricane Irma to the French island territories has been estimated at more than €1 billion.
 
Macron's plane is bringing water, food and tons of medicines and emergency equipment. The president will be accompanied by doctors and experts who will be in charge of evaluating the damage. About 1,500 troops, police and emergency workers are currently on the ground and 500 others were expected to arrive in the coming days, according to French authorities..
 
French Prime Minister Edouard Phillippe comforted people on the island and promised a way out for rescue operations. Even during the natural calamity, racial tensions started to arrive in Saint Martin as white tourists were evacuated before the black majority. 
To which, Philippe explained that it is common practice for tourists to be evacuated first from disaster zones for practical reasons, because they have access to fewer resources at a hotel.