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Three people have died in Reunion after Cyclone Garance swept through the French Indian Ocean territory with gusts of up to 234km\/h (145mph).<\/p>\n
The tropical cyclone left more than 180,000 homes without power and 170,000 without running water after making landfall on Friday morning.<\/p>\n
The remote island’s entire population – including emergency services and police – were ordered to stay indoors as the maximum alert level was imposed.<\/p>\n
Heavy storm rains were expected to continue on Friday evening, with Prime Minister Francois Bayrou warning on X<\/a> that the cyclone remained a threat.<\/p>\n The “brutal and violent” conditions were worse than Cyclone Belal, which killed four people on the island in January 2024<\/a>, Prefect Patrice Latron said.<\/p>\n Garance made landfall in the north of Reunion at 10:00 local time (06:00 GMT), before sweeping south and exiting the island by late afternoon, according to weather agency Meteo France.<\/p>\n Local authorities reduced the alert level by midday to allow emergency services and police to leave their shelters.<\/p>\n The top wind speed of 234km\/h had not been recorded on the island since Cyclone Hollanda in February 1994.<\/p>\n