Four people at least are reported to have been killed on the Indian Ocean island of La Réunion in a cyclone that has caused widespread wind damage, electrical fires, flooding, mudslides and airport closures, leading authorities to send support from Mayotte and mainland France.
🌀Déblayer les routes, ouvrir les axes majeurs, les militaires des @FAZSOI_Officiel et le RSMA-R, sont à pied d’œuvre pour rétablir la circulation partout sur l’île. Un seul objectif : permettre le retour à la normale le plus vite possible pour les Réunionnais 🇷🇪 #Garance pic.twitter.com/UIHG4IZYXU
— Forces armées dans la zone sud de l'océan Indien (@FAZSOI_Officiel) March 3, 2025
Weather forecasts had the island and neighbouring Mauritius on alert from mid-week as the storm, dubbed Cyclone Garance, closed in. Mauritius closed its airport on Wednesday 26 February 2025 and La Réunion followed suit on Thursday.
A high alert was issued, warning the population to remain indoors to allow emergency responders to cope. Branding the cyclone “a threat for the island”, French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, writing on X, called on “all to follow local authorities’ instructions.” He added that “Our thoughts are with them and their loved ones who have been hit hard.”
Alors que le cyclone Garance touche actuellement La Réunion, nos armées se tiennent prêtes à assister les services de l'État et soutenir la population.
— Sébastien Lecornu (@SebLecornu) February 28, 2025
Le pont aérien par A400M et Casa toujours en place entre l'île et Mayotte sera maintenu afin d’acheminer pompiers, gendarmerie,…
Up to 180,000 households without power
Winds of up to 230km/h battered the island from north to south on Friday, 28 February 2025, uprooting trees, ripping away roofing, and sending debris flying, according to images and footage published online. The storm also flooded streets and homes and washed away vehicles.
#WATCH : Footage of Saint Denis River on the French island of La Reunion after Cyclone Garance hit.#SaintDenis #CycloneGarance #Cyclone #Garance #France #LaReunion pic.twitter.com/ZBYeBSn06m
— upuknews (@upuknews1) March 1, 2025
Hundreds of people went to emergency shelters, with around 900 staying overnight. Authorities estimate that between 160,000 and 180,000 households have been left without power and 80,000 without water, while around 114,000 people have lost mobile coverage.
Le littoral de l’est est dévasté…#garance 🌀🇷🇪 pic.twitter.com/vTx16RZFzP
— MP 974👨🏽🏫🌍⏳🏺🐈✈️🇷🇪🇫🇷 (@Mp97440) March 1, 2025
Locals reported by AFP said they had watched their cars being overturned and “Satellite dishes, clothes lines and even chunks of cement,” being thrown around by the high winds. Prefect Patrice Latron told reporters that Garance was fiercer than Cyclone Belal, which killed four people on the island in January 2024. France’s Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau agreed that Garance was a storm of “rare intensity”.
Troops on standby as airport re-opened
French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu said armed forces stood ready to provide assistance, promising 100 emergency responders from mainland France. In addition, up to 100 troops and firefighters from Mayotte were put on standby, ready as soon as it was feasible for them to make the 1500-km journey as soon as safely possible.
📍Île de La Réunion |🌀Garance
— Armée française – Opérations militaires (@EtatMajorFR) March 2, 2025
En lien avec les autres services de l'État, les forces de @FAZSOI_Officiel poursuivent leurs efforts. pic.twitter.com/1lv32LBUnE
Roland Garros, Réunion’s international airport was re-opened at 6.30pm on Saturday evening, with a “high flow” protocol activated, restricting access to ticket holders only.
Passengers were asked to refrain from using airport drinking fountains. Despite “disturbed road access”, convoys and shuttles were being organised at 6pm and 8pm to get people to the airport from La Possession. The RN2 and RN3 exit roads from the airport are described as “open and usable” but the Mountain Road is closed.
