By AMANDINE ASCENCIO and ANGELA CHARLTON, Associated Press
MARIGOT, St. Martin (AP) — Defending its hurricane preparations for the hard-hit Caribbean islands of St. Martin and St. Barts, the French government on Sunday rejected criticism by political opponents and by islanders who felt abandoned as their homes and towns were devastated.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced he would be traveling to St. Martin on Tuesday on an Airbus carrying aid supplies to show that Paris is committed to both helping and rebuilding its far-away territories pummeled by Hurricane Irma.
Some Caribbean officials said Britain was also too slow in responding to destruction on the British Virgin Islands and the Dutch government faced criticism for not acting more quickly to evacuate tourists stranded on St. Maarten, the Dutch side of St. Martin. The Dutch king is also heading to the region.
The hurricane killed at least nine people on St. Martin as it hit Wednesday, destroying a huge number of houses, cars and boats and cutting off all water and electricity for days. Extra troops had to be sent to stop the looting of stores. Another four people were killed on St. Maarten.
The arrival of Hurricane Jose, a Category 4 that passed by on Sunday, only delayed recovery efforts across the Leeward Islands.
In St. Martin on Sunday, authorities were trying to set up the first large distribution points for food and water as the smell of churned-up rotting debris wafted over the island.
In the western coastal town of Grand-Case, a 76-year-old man who only gave his first name, Michel, emerged from a grocery store laden with food, explaining that he had nothing else to eat.
"Everything has been destroyed where I work. There's nothing there," said Manon Brunet-Vita, 27, as she walked through Grand-Case. "When I got to this neighborhood, I cried."
French government spokesman Christophe Castaner, speaking Sunday with Europe1-CNews-Les Echos, said he "perfectly (understood) the anger" of island residents. But he insisted that officials had known of the "extremely high risk" posed by the hurricane days in advance and had mobilized military and health care personnel in nearby Guadeloupe.
Castaner said many islanders were suffering from "emotional shock, an impact that's extremely hard psychologically."
More than 1,000 tons of water and 85 tons of food along with fuel have been shipped to St. Martin and St. Barts, and additional deliveries are expected in upcoming days, government officials in Guadeloupe said. Crews with heavy equipment and chain saws were clearing the roads of debris.
St. Martin's port of Marigot, which has been too dangerous to enter due to the scores of wrecked boats either sunk or scattered across its shores, was to reopen Monday morning. A ship is expected to dock with a 5-ton crane capable of unloading large containers.