Three people died at a party after whirlwind Garance swept across French Indian Ocean territory, gusts of wind (145 mph).
After the tropical cyclone landed on Friday morning, there was no running water in more than 180,000 homes without electricity.
With the highest alert level, the entire population of remote islands, including emergency services and police, is ordered to stay indoors.
The storm is expected to continue on Friday night, with Prime Minister Francois Bayrou warning X that the whirlwind remains a threat.
Patrice Latron said the conditions for “cruel and violent” were worse than Hurricane Belal, who killed four people on the island in January 2024.
According to the French Weather Service, Galarens local time (06:00 GMT) landed north of the party, then swept southward and left the island later in the afternoon.
Local authorities lowered the alert level before noon to allow emergency services and police to leave the shelter.
Since Cyclone Hollanda in February 1994, the highest wind speed of 234 km/h has not been recorded on the island.
Tornado Garance landed on a remote Indian Ocean island on Friday morning [Getty Images]
“This is the first time I have seen a powerful whirlwind and the first time I’m scared,” Vincent Clain, 45, a resident of the island’s northern coast.
When conditions eased, about 100 soldiers and firefighters were on standby, and could be dispatched from the French territory of Mayotte, France and 100 kilometers from mainland France.
Meanwhile, a 55-year-old man disappeared near Mauritius on Wednesday after swimming in the sea.
French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said on Friday that Garance had a “rare intensity” while Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said the armed forces were ready for assistance.
