PARIS, April 23, (AP): Traditional songs and dances welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron when he arrived this week on the Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte - unlike his last visit, when he was greeted by furious, desperate residents reeling from a devastating cyclone. But while daily life is improving, the impact of Cyclone Chido in December still dominated Macron’s latest trip to this archipelago near Madagascar, the poorest corner of France.

Mayotte's worst cyclone in a century killed dozens and left more than 2,000 injured, flattened homes and cut off power, communications and water supplies. After a contentious visit in December, Macron was careful as he toured Mayotte on Monday. He brought new promises for reconstruction aid for the territory's 320,000 residents, and for a crackdown on illegal immigration.

French authorities estimate another 100,000 migrants live in Mayotte, many in tin-roof shantytowns easily flatted by storms. Electricity and telephone service have now been restored, and the drinking water network is functioning again - though with intermittent outages because of chronic production shortages that often left Mayotte thirsty even before the cyclone.

"Mayotte isn’t down, but it isn’t up yet,” summarizes Estelle Youssouffa, a lawmaker representing Mayotte in France's National Assembly. Residents of the village of Tsingoni - known for a centuries-old mosque considered the oldest operating in France - still come to their mayor for reconstruction help. Some homes still need roofs replaced, or to be entirely rebuilt.

When the president visited Tsingoni, Mayor Issilamou Hamada said he was afraid residents’ emotions would "overflow.” During Macron's discussions with the local population, some told him that his earlier promises were still not being fulfilled. "We feel alone. I lost everything, my nursing practice was in my house. The roof is gone, I no longer have a computer. I’ve been forced to work on my phone ever since,” said Siti Madi, who uses a temporary office in another village.

Residents said banks aren’t yet granting zero-interest loans that were promised for reconstruction. Authorities warn of health risks because waste caused by the cyclone hasn’t all been cleaned up. The department is also experiencing its first cases of chikungunya, a disease transmitted by mosquito bites. Macron tried to reassure everyone. "Is everything settled? No, we are in a stabilization phase. There are legitimate concerns, there are many things that still need to be improved. And we are in the process of addressing them,” he said.