Latest news with #CycloneGarance
The Independent
12-03-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
Cyclone Garance: Reunion Island declares state of emergency after five killed by storm
A state of emergency has been declared in the French overseas territory of Reunion Island after Cyclone Garance devastated the island and left five people dead. Floods and mudslides ravaged the Indian Ocean island of around 900,000 residents after the tropical cyclone made landfall on 28 February. Authorities initially lifted the highest level of cyclone warning, allowing rescue services to begin operations but residents remained under instruction to stay inside. More than £168,000 (€200,000) is being released by the French government to help local authorities cope with the scale of the damage. The declaration of a state of emergency means that insurance companies can now cover the damage. All the affected municipalities are covered by flood insurance, including Saint-Denis, Saint-Paul, and Saint-Pierre, while only Sainte-Marie and Sainte-Rose are also covered by cyclone wind insurance. Compensation cannot begin until the municipality has been officially declared a state of natural disaster by the French government. Reunion island is located about 930 miles to the southeast of the French territory of Mayotte, an island group off Africa, which was hit in December by the worst cyclone in nearly a century, with widespread devastation left in its wake. Power cuts, ripped roofs The east and north of the island were the most affected parts of the island, with power cuts, uprooted trees, damaged homes and cars swept away by flooding. Winds reached about 145 miles per hour in Saint-Rose region in the east, and 133 mph in the island's main airport in the north, National weather agency Meteo France said. Strong winds ripped off roofs, doors, and windows of many buildings, officials said. Tarpaulins were sent to the hardest-hit areas to provide shelter in the eastern part of the island. About 30 percent of homes were without power, and nearly 10 percent of the island's 885,000 inhabitants lacked access to drinking water, the Reunion prefecture said. Cyclone Garance's path Cyclone Garance was one of six named tropical cyclones spinning around the Southern Hemisphere at once in a rare meteorological event not seen in decades. It formed in the Indian Ocean between Madagascar and Reunion Island before curving south-eastwards and hitting the north of Reunion island. From there it travelled south down the length of the island, according to Zoom Earth satellite imagery. After exiting the island it travelled about 600 miles further south before veering off east. It reached peak intensity at Category 3 on a scale from the least severe at 1 to the most severe at 5. Category 3 cyclones usually reach a maximum of 130 mph, so Meteo France's recording of winds at 145 mph puts the cyclone wind levels way into what would usually be considered Category 4. The weather agency also said cumulative rainfall on the island exceeded more than 500mm, which leads to heavy downpours and flooding.
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
'Spectacle of Desolation': Cyclone Garance Leaves Trail of Damage on Reunion Island
Cyclone Garance left a trail of damage and what a resident described as a 'spectacle of desolation' on Reunion Island, a French department in the Indian Ocean, between February 28 and March 1. Footage filmed by X user @Mp97440 shows strong winds blowing open a gate on February 28, the day Cyclone Garance made landfall on Reunion Island. It also shows several trees down in the source's garden. @Mp97440 wrote on X about 'the feeling of being stunned by the experience and its spectacle of desolation,' and defined the passage of the cyclone 'traumatic'. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. France TV Info reported on Saturday that the death toll from the cyclone had risen to four, after a man trapped under a tree in Saint Denis had died. The island was on a meteorological alert until Sunday afternoon. Credit: @Mp97440 via Storyful
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Deadly cyclone Garance kills at least four on France's Reunion Island
Cyclone Garance killed at least four people on France's Reunion Island authorities said on Saturday. The deadly storm hit the island early Friday triggering flash floods, mudslides and electrical storms and leaving hundreds of thousands of people without access to water or electricity. French authorities said Saturday that at least four people died in Cyclone Garance's devastating crossing of the Indian Ocean island of La Reunion. The body of a man was found trapped under one of thousands of trees ripped up by winds of up to 230 kilometres (143 miles) per hour that tore across the island of some 900,000 people on Friday, authorities said giving the new toll. The other victims, two women and a man, were carried away by flash floods, trapped in a mudslide or killed by an electrical fire sparked by the storm, according to the prefecture. More than 180,000 people were left without electricity and more than 170,000 without water, authorities said. The island's international airport was to reopen late Saturday. The nearby tourist island of Mauritius shut its main airport on Wednesday, while Reunion shut down to flights on Thursday. Watch moreCyclone Garance threatens Mauritius, Reunion Island (FRANCE 24 with AFP) Read more on FRANCE 24 EnglishRead also:Cyclone Belal causes heavy flooding in Mauritius after battering ReunionCyclone Garance kills at least two as it barrels across France's Reunion Island
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Cyclone Garance puts Mauritius, La Reunion on high alert
Cyclone Garance, a category 3 cyclone carrying gusts of up to 70 kilometers an hour, was on Thursday deemed a "direct threat" to the Indian Ocean islands of Mauritius and La Reunion, placing both countries on high alert and prompting a race to stockpile of essentials. The Indian Ocean islands of Mauritius and La Reunion were on high alert Thursday for an intense tropical storm, Cyclone Garance, labelled a "direct threat" to the tourist destinations. Mauritius shut its main airport on Wednesday, while the nearby French island of La Reunion was set to do the same on Thursday. Garance was categorised a class 3 cyclone by Mauritius -- the second-highest alert level -- with gusts of up to 70 kilometres (43 miles) an hour expected. The Mauritius Meteorological Service said the cyclone was 310 kilometres (190 miles) northwest of the island and had become an "intense tropical storm". The cyclone is "dangerously approaching Mauritius and constitutes a direct threat," it said, adding that flooding was expected. Garance was heading east but has curved south to pass between Mauritius and La Reunion, whose government representative said a "red alert" would be declared and the airport closed on Thursday. Read more'We lost everything that day': After Cyclone Freddy, Malawi struggles to rebuild (AFP) Read more on FRANCE 24 EnglishRead also:Tropical storm lashes France's Mayotte just weeks after devastating cycloneSuper Typhoon Man-yi smashes power lines, wrecks houses in Philippines
