Overview

• Cyclone Garance struck La Reunion on Friday, killing at least three people and causing widespread damage across the island of 900,000 residents.
• Wind speeds reached up to 143 mph, uprooting trees, tearing off roofs, and causing severe flooding that washed away cars and inundated streets.
• Over 180,000 households lost power, while tens of thousands faced water shortages and disruptions to mobile and internet services.
• Authorities issued the highest-level 'purple alert,' confining residents to their homes for hours, before downgrading the alert to red as conditions began to improve.
• Hundreds sought refuge in emergency shelters, while rescue operations and aid efforts were mobilized from nearby French territories and mainland France.