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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
07-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Cyclone Alfred live updates: PM working with Coles, Woolworths for safe reopening, 'staggering' number of power outages as system downgraded
Welcome to Yahoo's live coverage of Tropical Cyclone Alfred. The Bureau of Meteorology has revised the cyclone to a tropical low however millions are being warned the conditions remain life-threatening. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says everything is being done to ensure supermarkets like Coles and Woolworths can safely reopen. There are power outages for close to 300,000 people, which energy networks are calling a "staggering" number. In a brutal assessment, they believe those without power should expect to be without it for at least a week. The Bureau of Meteorology had earlier warned residents they will face extreme conditions for six or more hours once the cyclone makes landfall. That is expected to happen on the mainland very shortly, with the cyclone already crossing Moreton Island as a category one system. Follow along as we bring you regular updates throughout the day. We saw Coles and Woolworths shut down all their stores in the impacted areas at varying points yesterday, and Anthony Albanese says this morning the federal government is working closely with them and other supermarkets to ensure they open and are functioning as soon as its safe to do so. "We are reaching out through the national coordination mechanism to ensure that the private sector is also mobilised," he told the ABC this morning. "That is meeting daily with supermarkets, with insurance companies, with Telcos across the board to make sure everything is being done that is possible to provide assistance to people." OK, let's take a look at the route of Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred has taken and the predicted route it will take as it looks to cross the mainland coast in the next hour or so. The yellow section shows the system as a category two, before it became a category one (in green) late on Friday. The system is expected to move west as tropical low before eventually heading southwest on Sunday. You can follow that live graphic on Zoom Earth here. Sticking with Acting Police Commissioner Shane Chelepy, he says no reports of loss of life or missing people is a "frankly terrific" result overnight. One of the big reliefs for authorities is the lack of significant damage on Moreton Island where the system first made landfall. However Acting Police Commissioner Chelepy believes more reports of damage will come through once residents are able to inspect their properties. One of the key messages from authorities is to stay off the roads with the threat of flash flooding over the next couple of days. "What I'm really concerned about today and emergency services are concerned about today is that [a lot of rain forecast] could cause rapid flash flooding which could catch out motorists if they are moving about," Acting Police Commissioner Shane Chelepy said. Queensland David Crisafulli says there are "still significant challenges ahead" despite Cyclone Alfred being downgraded to a tropical low. "The challenges now: Flash flooding, creek rises. They remain a real pros with some of the rainfall predicted in the day as head. We have to be ready for that prospect. With swollen catchments, the risk of flash flooding remains," he told reporters. On a positive note, he said because the system didn't cross the coast on high tide, Queenslanders have been spared from damaging storm tide inundation, which Crisafulli called a "tremendous result". The main concern now for authorities is the heavy rain and the likelihood of flooding in plenty of communities in the impacted areas. Let's take a look at some of the rainfall that happened overnight, with widespread falls of up to 150mm in the city. Inland, Upper Springbrook recorded 245mm. The Bureau of Meteorology is stressing these heavy rains will continue after the tropical low makes landfall on the mainland. That's expected between Maroochydore and Bribie Island. One thing the slow pace of now Ex-TropCyclone Alfred has allowed is ample preparation time, with many communities saying they are ready for what the system brings. Overnight, SES Queensland said it had handed out its millionth sandbag. 'Our local councils have been moving mountains of sand trying to get our communities ready,' Acting Commissioner Shane Chelepy said. Moreton Bay City Council Mayor Peter Flannery is warning residents to heed warnings, and remain inside after a "hell of a lot of wind and rain" overnight. "The impacts are still prevalent, and we don't know what's ahead of us. Expect the worst," he said on ABC News Breakfast. He'd earlier said "selfies on social media for likes" simply weren't worth it and again urged people to stay off the roads, beaches and out of the water. Authorities have repeatedly expressed their anger over the amount of people on beaches throughout Friday, particularly children. Acting Gold Coast Mayor Donna Gates said warnings of $16,000 fines for entering the water had simply not worked. Let's get some more clarity on what this downgrade means. The Bureau of Meteorology is keen to stress it does not mean the threat posed to large areas has diminished and categories simply refer to the strength of the wind gusts. "The rainfall risk continues and is likely to continue through today, ramping up overnight and into tomorrow," the BoM's Miriam Bradbury told ABC News Breakfast. "That wet weather is only seeing its beginning at the moment." OK, we have a major update from the Bureau of Meteorology. Just hours after the cyclone was revised down to a category one system late on Friday, it has now been downgraded to a tropical low. Now that does not mean the dangers millions have been warned about will become less likely as the sheer amount of rain predicted is still expected. "Some of the biggest weather event I've seen in my career have been tropical lows," the ABC's meteorologist Adam Morgan said Energex says there are widespread power outages in Queensland's southeast. A staggering number of 239,000 people are currently off in the southeast area. Those are the main ones. Significant numbers," area manager Chris Graham told the ABC news channel. The worst hit is the Gold Coast with nearly 120,000 people without power. And in a bleak update for residents, Graham said people needed to "be prepared for prolonged outages". He said that could be at least a week some are left without power. Good morning and welcome to Yahoo's live coverage once more. In a key update this morning, the Bureau of Meteorology has said Cyclone Alfred has been revised to a category one system after weakening slightly. However that does not mean life-threatening conditions will not occur, with damaging gusts and flash flooding expected on the mainland. The cyclone is expected to make landfall shortly between Maroochydore and Bribie Island. This is where we'll be leaving our live coverage for the day, however the Yahoo homepage will have the latest news from the cyclone here. And for vital information from the Bureau of Meteorology, you can find that here. Our live coverage will return early tomorrow morning before Cyclone Alfred is expected to make landfall. With Tropical Cyclone Alfred now just hours away from landfall, authorities are warning residents it's now time to get serious. Residents are being urged to stay inside 'immediately' as the wild weather ramps up. The cyclone was 125km east-southeast of Brisbane and 90km east-northeast of the Gold Coast on Friday afternoon, moving west southwest at 8km/h. 'Everyone should be off the roads and at home almost from immediately after this press conference,' Acting Gold Coast Mayor Donna Gates said at 2pm (AEST). 'It is serious and strong winds can't be underestimated." OK, passing 2pm (AEST), all Brisbane Coles stores are now closed. Woolworths had earlier said the select number of stores open in Brisbane would close early. We'll stick with Acting Gold Coast mayor Donna Gates as she's just revealed police are working to remove four children from the ocean at Southport. "They're ignoring warnings to get out... it's very, very foolish and very, very dangerous," she said. Gates said two teens had earlier been rescued from the water. She clarified a previous warning people could get fined $16,000 for entering the water, saying they were not on-the-spot fines, however the maximum someone could be fined if taken through the courts. She said trying to scare people with that information appeared to have "fallen on deaf ears". Acting Gold Coast mayor Donna Gates has urged people not to call Triple-0 to report fallen powerlines with emergency services inundated amid the cyclone. "Don't clog other resources," she urged, telling people to call 131962 instead, stressing it was still an important call residents still need to make. Well we mentioned before a few of the Gold Coast's iconic lifeguard towers had succumbed to the coastal erosion there, so let's take a closer look at that now. Remarkably the ones that have fallen around Southport remain in tact after falling down the sand cliff onto the beach below. NSW Premier Chris Minns has told anyone who ignores evacuation orders in northern NSW will be "by yourself". While he said the majority of people are following the advice, there are concerns a small number of people will stay. "If you're one of the few people that are remaining in your house and you're in an evacuation area … you will literally be by yourself,' he said. Mr Minns warned that despite the heavy emergency service presence, it did not mean those remaining in the evacuation zone could 'ride out the storm'. 'There aren't the same number of boats as houses, and in the event of a major natural disaster we can't be everywhere at the same time," he said. The Bureau of Meteorology has released a new update, saying Cyclone Alfred is expected to remain a category 2 system as it approaches the coast. It is now just 150 kilometres east southeast of Brisbane. It's on track to cross the Moreton Bay islands on Saturday morning as a category 2 cyclone, before potentially dropping to a category 1 around midday. By Sunday, BoM predicts it will become a tropical low. Damaging wind gusts of up to 140km/h are still forecast for today, with locally 'intense' rainfall and the risk of flash flooding. 'Destructive wind gusts of up to 155 kilometres per hour may develop about the Moreton Bay Islands and exposed coastal location on the northern Gold Coast from tonight,' BoM said in the update. 'Although Alfred is expected to weaken and move inland during Saturday, damaging wind gusts may continue, particularly over elevated terrain during Saturday, before easing throughout during Sunday.' People between Cape Moreton and Yamba, including the Moreton Bay Islands should remain inside until conditions have eased and listen to the next advice. People between Yamba and Grafton in New South Wales, as well as Brisbane and Double Island Point in Queensland should take precautions and listen to the next advice. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. We saw Coles and Woolworths shut down all their stores in the impacted areas at varying points yesterday, and Anthony Albanese says this morning the federal government is working closely with them and other supermarkets to ensure they open and are functioning as soon as its safe to do so. "We are reaching out through the national coordination mechanism to ensure that the private sector is also mobilised," he told the ABC this morning. "That is meeting daily with supermarkets, with insurance companies, with Telcos across the board to make sure everything is being done that is possible to provide assistance to people." OK, let's take a look at the route of Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred has taken and the predicted route it will take as it looks to cross the mainland coast in the next hour or so. The yellow section shows the system as a category two, before it became a category one (in green) late on Friday. The system is expected to move west as tropical low before eventually heading southwest on Sunday. You can follow that live graphic on Zoom Earth here. Sticking with Acting Police Commissioner Shane Chelepy, he says no reports of loss of life or missing people is a "frankly terrific" result overnight. One of the big reliefs for authorities is the lack of significant damage on Moreton Island where the system first made landfall. However Acting Police Commissioner Chelepy believes more reports of damage will come through once residents are able to inspect their properties. One of the key messages from authorities is to stay off the roads with the threat of flash flooding over the next couple of days. "What I'm really concerned about today and emergency services are concerned about today is that [a lot of rain forecast] could cause rapid flash flooding which could catch out motorists if they are moving about," Acting Police Commissioner Shane Chelepy said. Queensland David Crisafulli says there are "still significant challenges ahead" despite Cyclone Alfred being downgraded to a tropical low. "The challenges now: Flash flooding, creek rises. They remain a real pros with some of the rainfall predicted in the day as head. We have to be ready for that prospect. With swollen catchments, the risk of flash flooding remains," he told reporters. On a positive note, he said because the system didn't cross the coast on high tide, Queenslanders have been spared from damaging storm tide inundation, which Crisafulli called a "tremendous result". The main concern now for authorities is the heavy rain and the likelihood of flooding in plenty of communities in the impacted areas. Let's take a look at some of the rainfall that happened overnight, with widespread falls of up to 150mm in the city. Inland, Upper Springbrook recorded 245mm. The Bureau of Meteorology is stressing these heavy rains will continue after the tropical low makes landfall on the mainland. That's expected between Maroochydore and Bribie Island. One thing the slow pace of now Ex-TropCyclone Alfred has allowed is ample preparation time, with many communities saying they are ready for what the system brings. Overnight, SES Queensland said it had handed out its millionth sandbag. 'Our local councils have been moving mountains of sand trying to get our communities ready,' Acting Commissioner Shane Chelepy said. Moreton Bay City Council Mayor Peter Flannery is warning residents to heed warnings, and remain inside after a "hell of a lot of wind and rain" overnight. "The impacts are still prevalent, and we don't know what's ahead of us. Expect the worst," he said on ABC News Breakfast. He'd earlier said "selfies on social media for likes" simply weren't worth it and again urged people to stay off the roads, beaches and out of the water. Authorities have repeatedly expressed their anger over the amount of people on beaches throughout Friday, particularly children. Acting Gold Coast Mayor Donna Gates said warnings of $16,000 fines for entering the water had simply not worked. Let's get some more clarity on what this downgrade means. The Bureau of Meteorology is keen to stress it does not mean the threat posed to large areas has diminished and categories simply refer to the strength of the wind gusts. "The rainfall risk continues and is likely to continue through today, ramping up overnight and into tomorrow," the BoM's Miriam Bradbury told ABC News Breakfast. "That wet weather is only seeing its beginning at the moment." OK, we have a major update from the Bureau of Meteorology. Just hours after the cyclone was revised down to a category one system late on Friday, it has now been downgraded to a tropical low. Now that does not mean the dangers millions have been warned about will become less likely as the sheer amount of rain predicted is still expected. "Some of the biggest weather event I've seen in my career have been tropical lows," the ABC's meteorologist Adam Morgan said Energex says there are widespread power outages in Queensland's southeast. A staggering number of 239,000 people are currently off in the southeast area. Those are the main ones. Significant numbers," area manager Chris Graham told the ABC news channel. The worst hit is the Gold Coast with nearly 120,000 people without power. And in a bleak update for residents, Graham said people needed to "be prepared for prolonged outages". He said that could be at least a week some are left without power. Good morning and welcome to Yahoo's live coverage once more. In a key update this morning, the Bureau of Meteorology has said Cyclone Alfred has been revised to a category one system after weakening slightly. However that does not mean life-threatening conditions will not occur, with damaging gusts and flash flooding expected on the mainland. The cyclone is expected to make landfall shortly between Maroochydore and Bribie Island. This is where we'll be leaving our live coverage for the day, however the Yahoo homepage will have the latest news from the cyclone here. And for vital information from the Bureau of Meteorology, you can find that here. Our live coverage will return early tomorrow morning before Cyclone Alfred is expected to make landfall. With Tropical Cyclone Alfred now just hours away from landfall, authorities are warning residents it's now time to get serious. Residents are being urged to stay inside 'immediately' as the wild weather ramps up. The cyclone was 125km east-southeast of Brisbane and 90km east-northeast of the Gold Coast on Friday afternoon, moving west southwest at 8km/h. 'Everyone should be off the roads and at home almost from immediately after this press conference,' Acting Gold Coast Mayor Donna Gates said at 2pm (AEST). 'It is serious and strong winds can't be underestimated." OK, passing 2pm (AEST), all Brisbane Coles stores are now closed. Woolworths had earlier said the select number of stores open in Brisbane would close early. We'll stick with Acting Gold Coast mayor Donna Gates as she's just revealed police are working to remove four children from the ocean at Southport. "They're ignoring warnings to get out... it's very, very foolish and very, very dangerous," she said. Gates said two teens had earlier been rescued from the water. She clarified a previous warning people could get fined $16,000 for entering the water, saying they were not on-the-spot fines, however the maximum someone could be fined if taken through the courts. She said trying to scare people with that information appeared to have "fallen on deaf ears". Acting Gold Coast mayor Donna Gates has urged people not to call Triple-0 to report fallen powerlines with emergency services inundated amid the cyclone. "Don't clog other resources," she urged, telling people to call 131962 instead, stressing it was still an important call residents still need to make. Well we mentioned before a few of the Gold Coast's iconic lifeguard towers had succumbed to the coastal erosion there, so let's take a closer look at that now. Remarkably the ones that have fallen around Southport remain in tact after falling down the sand cliff onto the beach below. NSW Premier Chris Minns has told anyone who ignores evacuation orders in northern NSW will be "by yourself". While he said the majority of people are following the advice, there are concerns a small number of people will stay. "If you're one of the few people that are remaining in your house and you're in an evacuation area … you will literally be by yourself,' he said. Mr Minns warned that despite the heavy emergency service presence, it did not mean those remaining in the evacuation zone could 'ride out the storm'. 'There aren't the same number of boats as houses, and in the event of a major natural disaster we can't be everywhere at the same time," he said. The Bureau of Meteorology has released a new update, saying Cyclone Alfred is expected to remain a category 2 system as it approaches the coast. It is now just 150 kilometres east southeast of Brisbane. It's on track to cross the Moreton Bay islands on Saturday morning as a category 2 cyclone, before potentially dropping to a category 1 around midday. By Sunday, BoM predicts it will become a tropical low. Damaging wind gusts of up to 140km/h are still forecast for today, with locally 'intense' rainfall and the risk of flash flooding. 'Destructive wind gusts of up to 155 kilometres per hour may develop about the Moreton Bay Islands and exposed coastal location on the northern Gold Coast from tonight,' BoM said in the update. 'Although Alfred is expected to weaken and move inland during Saturday, damaging wind gusts may continue, particularly over elevated terrain during Saturday, before easing throughout during Sunday.' People between Cape Moreton and Yamba, including the Moreton Bay Islands should remain inside until conditions have eased and listen to the next advice. People between Yamba and Grafton in New South Wales, as well as Brisbane and Double Island Point in Queensland should take precautions and listen to the next advice.
The Independent
05-03-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
Six cyclones spin around the Southern Hemisphere simultaneously in rare meteorological event
Six tropical cyclones are spinning in the Southern Hemisphere at the same time, in a rare meteorological event not seen in decades. Three formed in the Indian Ocean and another three formed in the Pacific, maps from Zoom Earth show. The tropical storms range from category one to category four level hurricanes, including Seru and Rae north of New Zealand, Alfred northeast of Australia, Bianca west of Australia, Honde off Mozambique and Garance off Madagascar. Six simultaneous named storms last occurred in the Pacific Ocean in 1974, with five in the Atlantic in 1971. Cyclone Alfred is set to make landfall in Australia on Thursday - click here for live updates. It comes as meteorologists point to warm sea surface temperatures and weak wind shear as contributing factors to stronger storms in recent years. Both of these may be linked to La Nina weather phenomenon, AccuWeather Lead International Expert Jason Nicholls explained. A marine heatwave near Western Australia has lasted since September 2024, with unusually high sea surface temperatures in late February. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology predicted more severe tropical cyclones in the South Pacific this season as oceans were warmer than expected. The Southern Hemisphere's tropical season is from November to April. Cyclone Rae Category Level: 2 Cyclone Rae developed north of Fiji in the south-west Pacific on 22 February before travelling southwards. It was a shorter-lived storm and was at maximum intensity when it reached category level two. But it still caused significant damage to some of the Fiji islands on Monday, following heavy rain, flood waters, large waves and gusts of roughly 100mph. Cyclone Seru Category Level: 2 Cyclone Seru also developed in the south-west Pacific, forming on 24 February over the southern Soloman Islands. It then travelled southwards, to the east of New Caledonia and Vanuatu. Unlike Cyclone Rae, it remained offshore. Cyclone Alfred Category Level: 2 Cyclone Alfred originally developed in the Coral Sea in the Pacific on 24 February and it is expected to make landfall in Australia towards the end of this week. The cyclone has barrelled towards Australia's southeastern coast, prompting evacuation orders and a state of emergency. Officials have warned it could be one of the most destructive in the region in decades. Cyclone Bianca Category Level: 3 Cyclone Bianca formed in the Indian Ocean on 23 February. It developed offshore of Western Australia, moving to the west and southwest. It reached category three on 25 February but stayed far from land. The Australian government announced it was not expected to impact mainland Australia and island communities. Cyclone Honde Category Level: 1 Cyclone Honde has caused devastation in Madagascar, with reports three people have died and 69 others injured. More than 21,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in multiple cities, with widespread damage to homes and schools. The storm formed in the Indian Ocean on 21 February alongside Bianca. It is expected to weaken and lose its tropical characteristics by Thursday. Cyclones Garance Category Level: 3 Cyclone Garance killed at least five people when it hit the French island of La Reunion on Friday. It brought wind speeds of up to 96 mph - blowing away roofs, cutting off power and access to drinking water for many residents before exiting the southwest of the island hours later. Dozens of tropical storms have hit the islands but the last cyclone to hit the island as a hurricane was in 1989.
