French Government Announces Reconstruction Plan

for St. Martin and St. Bart's. Hopefully, casualties from the hurricane will be kept to the absolute minimum. It won't be easy, but with a financial aid package, the islands might come back bigger and better than ever over time.

http://www.huffingtonpost.fr/2017/09/06/...tin_a_23199322/

In English?

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In part:HURRICANE IRMA - On 6 September, President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron announced the establishment of a national reconstruction plan for Saint-Barthélemy and Saint-Martin following the passage of Hurricane Irma. This one was particularly devastating for the second island, "destroyed to 95%" and where we already counted six dead.

"It is too early to take stock of the situation, and I can already tell you that this will be a hard and cruel report, we will have to deplore the victims," ​​the head of state said. to the Crisis Staff activated at the Ministry of the Interior. "And the material damage on the two islands are considerable," added the president, surrounded by Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and Interior Minister Gérard Collomb.

A "national reconstruction plan will be deployed as quickly as possible" in St. Barthelemy and St. Martin, the two islands devastated by Hurricane Irma, announced Emmanuel Macron. To finance it, "an emergency fund will be put in place", he said (see the video at the head of the article).


The president added that the state services were "fully mobilized to meet the daily needs and treat the wounded", but also "organize relief and restore connections". Prime Minister Edouard Philippe will make a first assessment Thursday at 4 pm, after returning to the Crisis Staff, he said. Emmanuel Macron also assured the populations affected by the cyclone of the entire "solidarity of the Nation, which is at their side".

I am cautiously optimistic. Given this level of governement support, St. Martin may just be up and running before the end of December.

'we will have to deplore the victims' - 'lament' is the actual
translation, sympathize with, etc