Four dead, including two women, one swept away by the waves and the other by a mudslide, at least five injured, roads destroyed or cut off, neighborhoods flooded by rising rivers, thousands of homes damaged... "It's a tragic day for La Réunion," solemnly declared the prefect of the Indian Ocean department, Patrice Latron, in the early evening of Friday, February 28, after the passage of tropical cyclone Garance. The island had been placed on violet alert, the highest level, prohibiting all outings even for rescue services. A "brutal" and "violent" event, which began on Tuesday east of Madagascar and "disfigured" La Réunion, observed Latron.

The eye of the cyclone made a direct hit on the island in the northeast, at Sainte-Marie and Sainte-Suzanne, at 10 am local time (7 am in mainland France), before crossing the territory and exiting late morning from the southwest, moving away as it weakened.

As announced by the regional meteorological administration, Météo-France océan Indien, Garance wreaked havoc with devastating winds, rainfall deemed "exceptional" and wave heights of up to 10 meters. At the airport, wind gusts of 214 km/h were recorded. These were weather events not seen since Cyclone Jenny in 1962, according to Céline Jauffret, inter-regional director of Météo-France. In Piton Sainte-Rose, in the east of the island, a record 234 km/h was recorded. In the northern part of La Réunion, gusts of over 150 km/h to 180 km/h ripped off roofs, pulverized windows and doors, and bent trees, traffic signs and advertising billboards. While the peak of the cyclone was marked by this destructive force, the aftermath was characterized by torrential rain, which also caused major damage.

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