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France is to declare a natural disaster for Guadeloupe after the island was hit by Hurricane Maria, a move that is a vital step for victims to secure compensation, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said Wednesday.
Two people died and two were missing in the French territory after Maria ripped through the Caribbean on the heels of Hurricane Irma.
“Almost all the banana plantations on the island have been affected,” Philippe said after an interministerial meeting. “Production has totally stopped.”
Under French law, companies or individuals have 10 days in which to file a compensation claim with their insurers for loss in an event that has been officially declared a natural disaster. The declaration will be published on Saturday, Philippe said.