Cyclone Fengal: Puducherry under water, trees uprooted

The situation in Puducherry was grim as heavy rains continued to lash the city and nearby localities.

Chennai: Puducherry, the picturesque coastal city, on Sunday looked severely battered by a record rainfall of 50 cm in less than 24 hours induced by Cyclone Fengal. The cyclone-induced rain flooded major roads, densely populated localities, affecting lakhs of people, and uprooting hundreds of trees.

The situation in Puducherry, a tiny Union Territory sharing a border with Tamil Nadu, was grim as heavy rains continued to lash the city and nearby localities, affecting the rescue and relief operations in affected areas. Water level was as high as 5 feet in some residential localities with people living in ground floor seeking refuge in higher floors, even as rescuers waded through knee-deep water to deliver water and food to the affected.

The city received about 50 cm rainfall since Saturday morning with much of them being dumped by Cyclone Fengal, which remained stationery in the coast for over six hours, between 7 pm Saturday and 7 am Sunday. Video footage shared on social media and by Puducherry government showed cars almost floating in the flood water in several localities with houses marooned, confining people inside them.

Many roads were inaccessible due to uprooting of large trees even as the National Highway connecting Puducherry with Tindivanam in Tamil Nadu was closed for traffic due to heavy water stagnation.

The rainfall received on Saturday and Sunday is double the amount of 24 cm of rainfall, the previous record for Puducherry in October 2004. The magnitude of the tragedy and the destruction caused by the cyclonic storm will be revealed only when the rescue operations begin in full swing once the rains stop.

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“Since the tides (waves) are very heavy, the ocean is not able to receive the rain water. This is one of the reasons for the city to face a cascading effect. Things will be fine if the rains stop for three hours. Once water is drained, we can heave a sigh of relief,” Chief Minister N Rangasamy said.

Puducherry District Collector A Kulothungan declared that schools and colleges will remain shut until further orders as the administration plans to convert these buildings into temporary relief shelters, if needed. “For us to assess the damage and find out how many people need relief and help, the rains should stop first,” a senior official told DH over the phone.

Indian Army was pressed into the relief operations with two team of about 60 soldiers rescuing about 200 people from Krishnagar and Kuber Nagar localities using boats, while another team is also involved in rescue operations in Jiva Nagar.

“The rescue operations have been conducted efficiently with the coordinated efforts of the local administration, police forces, and specialised rescue teams. The Indian Army and civil administration remains committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of all affected residents,” the UT government said in a press statement.

The situation in neighbouring Cuddalore and Villupuram in Tamil Nadu was no better as people waded in knee-deep water to reach to safety from their flooded homes. In Cuddalore and Villupuram, the rain water entered houses in several localities and rains hampered the relief operations, though boats were pressed into service in villages like Kottakuppam in Villupuram to move people to safety.

“The rains which started Saturday evening are continuing without any break. It is quite scary. Though I stay on the second floor of the building, the ground floor is almost flooded. The parking lot looks like a lake,” Anitha, a software professional from Cuddalore, told DH over the phone.