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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
10-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Argentina declares three-day mourning as flood death toll rises to 16
Argentina declared three days of national mourning following flash floods that claimed 16 lives in Bahia Blanca, where a year's rain fell within hours, inundating neighborhoods. Two young girls, aged one and five, were tragically swept away in the disaster. Argentina announced three days of national mourning late Sunday after authorities raised the death toll from recent flash flooding to 16, with more still missing. The deadly floods struck Friday when a year's worth of rain fell in a matter of hours in and around Bahia Blanca, a major port city located in the south of Buenos Aires province, with entire neighborhoods inundated by the fast-rising waters. The Latin American nation has been particularly shaken by tragic reports of two girls, aged one and five, being swept away in the torrent. Provincial security minister Javier Alonso confirmed their disappearance Sunday, saying the sisters had climbed onto the roof of a van with their mother to escape the rising waters when a surge ripped them away. Their mother was rescued. Divers were continuing to search the area, where more than a meter of water remained, Alonso told the Radio Mitre outlet. Bahia Blanca Mayor Federico Susbielles, meanwhile, told a press conference that the flooding had caused $400 million in infrastructure damage. Later, in a post on X, he said "there are 16 confirmed deaths, but there are likely to be more" as search efforts continue. The storm left much of the surrounding coastal area without power. At one point, city officials in Bahia Blanco suspended electricity due to the huge amount of water in the streets. Read more on FRANCE 24 EnglishRead also:Several killed as Cyclone Garance slams into France's Reunion IslandJanuary sets 'surprising' heat record, defying La Nina cooling expectations
Bloomberg
04-03-2025
- Climate
- Bloomberg
Mauritius Sees ‘Catastrophic' Water Scenario on Climate Change
Insufficient rainfall since July has put Mauritius on course for a 'catastrophic' water shortage within the next two months, Energy and Public Utilities Minister Patrick Assirvaden said. The nation had its second-driest January in 25 years, and it received only 43% of the average rainfall for February, data from the weather service show. Last week, cyclone Garance didn't bring enough rains, with water levels in the Indian Ocean island nation's seven main reservoirs averaging 41%, according to the minister.
The Guardian
03-03-2025
- Climate
- The Guardian
Weather tracker: Polar vortex collapse could chill North America and Eurasia
A sudden stratospheric warming event is expected to develop over the next two weeks, leading to a rapid collapse of the polar vortex. This will be the second and probably final disruption of the polar vortex this winter in the northern hemisphere, the first having taken place earlier last month, which was associated with a severe cold spell across much of the eastern half of the US. The next stratospheric event looks stronger than the previous one, and will probably weaken the jet stream pattern. This may allow a release of cold air from the polar regions to move southwards into North America or Eurasia, in turn increasing the risk of significant snow for some regions. Yosemite in California is already being affected by some severe late winter weather with more than a foot of snow expected at higher elevations in the first few days of March, accompanied by wind gusts of 50mph. Pakistan's Islamabad, Kashmir, upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and upper Punjab are also facing strong winds, heavy rain and hill snow over the coming days. Travel disruption across these areas is expected and weather warnings have been issued. Slow-moving Tropical Cyclone Alfred will edge closer to the coast of Queensland in Australia over the next few days. While the weather system is expected to remain over the Coral Sea, it could move close to the east coast, bringing strong to gale-force winds on its south-western side with huge surf across the southern Great Barrier Reef islands and adjacent coastline. Severe weather warnings are in place with the potential for damaging wind gusts, which could also affect coastal north-east New South Wales. Also in the southern hemisphere, Cyclone Garance has led to at least four deaths on the French island territory of Réunion in the Indian Ocean. Trees have been uprooted, streets inundated with flood water and cars washed away. Winds of up to 140mph (225km/h) were recorded in Piton Sainte-Rose on the east coast. About 160,000 people were left without power and 1,000 moved to temporary accommodation. A third of the island's population have had no access to drinking water. In the west coast seaside resort of Saint Gilles, muddy water overflowed from a ravine and poured through the town centre, where excavators were needed to remove the mud.
Local France
02-03-2025
- Climate
- Local France
Four dead as French island reels from devastating cyclone
Local people expressed shock at the level of destruction after Cyclone Garance struck the territory of 900,000 people Friday, uprooting trees, tearing off roofs and flooding homes. Entire streets were inundated and cars washed away. A red alert, ordering the population to stay indoors, was lifted on Saturday morning after Garance was downgraded to a severe tropical storm. The body of a man was found trapped under a tree in the capital, Saint-Denis, officials said Saturday. The other victims, two women and a man, were carried away by flash floods, trapped in a mudslide or killed by an electrical fire, the authorities said Friday. "We are deeply shaken," Samantha Boyer said in Saint-Denis where one of the women had been swept away. "We tried to get the lady out of the drainage outlet," she said. "We called all the neighbours and really tried to rescue her, but we couldn't." The east and north of the island bore the brunt of the damage. 'Never been so scared' Fierce winds damaged the house of Therese Borel, who lives in the eastern town of Saint-Benoit, tearing off the roof. She and her husband took refuge at their son's house, who lives nearby. "When I arrived at my son's house, just behind, I sat down on the floor and started crying," said Borel. "I didn't have much to begin with, now I have nothing," she said. "I had never been so scared in my life," added her son Jimmy. The roof of Krishna Cadivel's house was also blown away. "I've lived here for 55 years, I've been through several cyclones," said the resident of the nearby town of Bras-Panon. "I've never seen anything like it." Some 120,000 people were still without electricity, while more than 950 were staying in temporary accommodation centres. More than 310,000 residents had no access to drinking water. In a gymnasium in Saint-Denis, where some locals found shelter, Marie-Pierrette Narsou said the cyclone had left her "a bit traumatised". "It was really bad," she added. Prefect Patrice Latron, the central government representative on the island, said "a lot of work" would be needed, with many roads blocked by fallen trees. "A few stores have been looted, mainly for provisions, but we cannot say it has been widespread," he added. Manuel Valls, France's overseas territories minister, was due to arrive in La Reunion in the coming days, his team said. Millions of euros in damage During the passage of the cyclone on Friday, French weather office Meteo-France recorded winds of up to 230 kilometres (143 miles) per hour in Piton Sainte-Rose on the island's eastern coast. Latron said Garance was fiercer than cyclone Belal, which killed four people on Reunion in January 2024 and caused an estimated €100 million ($104 million) in damage. The island's international airport reopened on Saturday. The nearby tourist island of Mauritius had shut its main airport on Wednesday, while Reunion had shut down to flights on Thursday. In Saint-Gilles-les-Bains on the island's west coast, a ravine burst its banks, sending muddy water pouring through the town centre. Local council workers started clearing the mud from the streets early on Saturday morning. "We're shovelling it away," said one. "Residents are helping us but there's far too much mud. We've had to bring in excavators." About 200 firefighters and military personnel were to be sent in over the weekend from Mayotte, a French territory nearly 1,500 kilometres away, and from mainland France, the government said. Floris Carpaye of farmers union FDSEA said the agricultural sector had been hit hard, especially market gardening. "It's a real catastrophe," Carpaye said. "It's going to cost tens of millions of euros."
