Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

France sends soldiers and other personnel to help cyclone battered Wallis

Posted at 22:54 on 20 December, 2012 UTC

The French overseas territories minister, Victorin Lurel, has been on Wallis to inspected the damage caused by Cyclone Evan and says a state of natural disaster is expected to be declared.

Mr Lurel says the prefect is to submit reports so that extra funding can be released.

Wallis was badly hit at the weekend and 300 houses have been damaged by winds said to have been the strongest since 1968.

Only 20 percent of the power network has been restored and phone lines out of the territory are still down.