Cyclone Garance has hit the island of La Réunion

Photo:Depositphotos

Cyclone Garance hit the French overseas territory on Friday landing on an island server located east of Madagascar. High winds blew off roofs and caused extensive structural damage. Many residents also had limited drinking water supplies and were without electricity for several days.

Shortly after making landfall in the north the cyclone moved southwest and left the territory of the island. The French Meteorological Office subsequently said the worst of the storm had passed. The red alert was canceled already on Saturday morning and Garance weakened to a tropical storm.

Strong winds on the island uprooted a number of mature trees that destroyed houses and blocked numerous roads. In the capital city of Saint-Denis, cleaning work continues even these days and the damage is gradually quantified.

Authorities say victims succumbed to falling trees and others drowned in flash floods. Many residents had to be evacuated as mudslides partially buried their houses. Some were taken to temporary accommodation centers and others stayed in their homes without electricity.

In addition to widespread power outages, 310,000 residents found themselves without drinking water and another 140,000 without access to the Internet. Meteo-France in Piton Sainte-Rose recorded winds blowing at a speed of 230 kilometers per hour. Garance became one of the strongest cyclones to hit the territory of the island of La Reúnion in recent decades. It will take weeks to repair all the houses and roads on the island.

Source:AlJazeera