# Cyclone Gervaise (1975)

URL: https://allhistories.com/mauritius/timeline/1975-cyclone-gervaise
Location: Mauritius
Themes: main-event

Mauritius lies in the path of south-west Indian Ocean cyclones, and its sugar economy and wooden or corrugated-iron housing were highly vulnerable. Cyclone Carol in 1960 had left a lasting memory, prompting a programme of concrete housing. In the mid-1970s the economy was enjoying a sugar boom, with exceptional crops and high world prices. Gervaise formed in early February 1975 south-west of Diego Garcia and was named by the Mauritius Meteorological Services on 2 February. It passed south-east of St Brandon and struck Mauritius on 6 February; the calm of the eye lasted three hours over the island. Gusts peaked at 280 km/h at Mon Désert, and up to 674 mm of rain fell at Grosse Roche. Ten people were killed, power lines and communications were cut, thousands were left homeless, and in Port Louis a cargo ship of about 10,000 tonnes was washed onto the quay. Estimates of the loss to the sugar crop range from a quarter to a third. The cyclone ended the sugar boom abruptly and damaged many schools, adding to the discontent that erupted in the student protests of May 1975. It also reinforced the case for economic diversification away from a single, weather-dependent crop, a lesson repeated by Claudette in 1979 and Firinga in 1989. At this point in the timeline (6 February 1975), the Queen of Mauritius was Elizabeth II (12 March 1968 – 12 March 1992); the Governor-General of Mauritius was Sir Raman Osman (30 January 1973 – 31 October 1977). Government: the Prime Minister of Mauritius was Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam (1967 – 1982).

## Why it matters
Gervaise was the most destructive cyclone of the post-independence era and exposed the risks of sugar dependence.

Ruler at the Time: [Elizabeth II](https://allhistories.com/mauritius/rulers/elizabeth-ii-uk)

Governor-General of Mauritius: Sir Raman Osman
Prime Minister of Mauritius: Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam (Labour Party (PTr))

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — 1974–75 South-West Indian Ocean cyclone season](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1974–75_South-West_Indian_Ocean_cyclone_season)
- [Mauritius Meteorological Services](https://metservice.intnet.mu/)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica — Mauritius climate cyclones](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Mauritius+climate+cyclones)
- [Wikipedia — The Dominion Of Mauritius (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauritius_(1968%E2%80%931992))