Cyclone Garance Strikes Reunion Island, Local Residents Urged to Stay Indoors
Tropical Cyclone Garance has hit Reunion island, prompting local authorities to urge residents to stay indoors due to heavy rainfall and winds surpassing 200 km/h. Emergency measures are in place as flooding and power outages affect many inhabitants. Fortunately, no fatalities have been reported so far, but significant damage to infrastructure has occurred.
On Friday, residents of Reunion, a French island in the Indian Ocean, were advised to remain indoors as Tropical Cyclone Garance struck the area, bringing destructive winds exceeding 200 kilometers per hour (124 mph) along with heavy rainfall. The cyclone has resulted in significant flooding, power outages, and damage to several buildings.
The Reunion prefecture reported that 683 individuals took refuge in emergency shelters, with an additional 54 evacuations carried out as a precaution against flooding and landslides. Fortunately, no casualties were reported amidst the unfolding disaster.
Approximately 30% of the homes on the island experienced power outages, and nearly 10% of the 885,000 residents lacked access to potable drinking water. Additionally, strong winds have caused roofs, doors, and windows to be torn from many structures, prompting emergency responders to dispatch tarpaulins to the most affected regions in the east.
While authorities have lifted the highest-level purple cyclone warning, they maintained a red warning status, urging citizens to stay indoors due to ongoing heavy rainfall and strong winds. The national meteorological agency, Meteo France, recorded wind speeds reaching 214 kilometers per hour at the island’s main airport.
Reunion is situated approximately 1,500 kilometers southeast of the French territory of Mayotte, which recently faced devastation from Cyclone Chido, believed to be the worst in nearly a century, resulting in 40 confirmed fatalities and numerous individuals unaccounted for, feared to be buried in the aftermath.
In summary, Tropical Cyclone Garance has severely impacted the residents of Reunion island, leading to emergency evacuations and widespread infrastructural damage. Although the highest level of cyclone warning has been lifted, continued adverse weather conditions have prompted local authorities to advise caution. The situation remains critical, with efforts underway to assist those affected by power outages and lack of drinking water.
Original Source: apnews.com
