JOIN USHeavy rains batter Tamil Nadu after cyclone Mandous makes landfall
Moving at a speed of 14 km per hour and packing wind speeds of 65-75 kmph gusting to 85 kmph, Cyclone Mandous late Friday began its landfall between Puducherry and Sriharikota around Mamallapuram, even as heavy rains pounded Chennai and several coastal districts of the state.
Several parts of northern Tamil Nadu, including Chennai and its neighbouring districts of Kanchipuram, Chengalpattu and Tiruvallur, experienced heavy rains through Thursday night and the whole of Friday, prompting the government to declare holiday for schools and colleges in 15 districts for Saturday as well. Several colleges also postponed exams.
“Cyclone Mandous has begun its landfall near Mamallapuram. The process began around 10 pm and it is expected to take a few hours to complete,” Dr S Balachandran, Deputy Director General of Meteorology, Regional Meteorological Centre, Chennai, said.
Though the cyclone will make its landfall in the early hours, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy rains to continue on Saturday in most parts of northern Tamil Nadu. As many as 19 flights, including to international destinations, were cancelled from Chennai airport on Friday due to the cyclone.
As the cyclone made its landfall near Mamallapuram, the government asked people to avoid unnecessary travel on Friday night. In its latest bulletin, the IMD said cyclone Mandous, at 9.30 pm on Friday, lay 45 km southeast of Mamallapuram and about 90 km south-southeast of Chennai.
As the landfall is expected near Mamallapuram, the government suspended traffic in a few stretches on the scenic East Coast Road connecting Chennai with Puducherry at around 7 pm as the winds gained speed. The sea was reported to be rough in most parts of the state and fishermen have been advised to stay away from the sea till Saturday.
The cyclone-induced rains also brought down the minimum temperature in Chennai to 19.2 degree Celsius. The city received 3.5 mm rainfall between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm on Friday, while Kodaikanal recorded 5.5 cm.
Visiting the 24/7 Control Room in Chennai, Chief Minister M K Stalin said the government was prepared and equipped well to handle the cyclone and appealed to the people to extend cooperation. “We are ready and we have asked all district collectors to be alert. Relief centres have been opened and we expect people living in low-lying areas to come and stay there,” he said.
The government has rushed 14 teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) to Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Cuddalore, Mayiladuthurai, Chennai, Tiruvarur, Kanchipuram, Chengalpattu and Villupuram. Since the cyclone is expected to make landfall near Mamallapuram, three teams with 121 personnel have been deployed in Chengalpattu district alone.
Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) said it has kept its personnel ready to restore power lines if they are damaged due to the cyclone, while the district administrations have kept tree cutters and other equipment ready to clear blockage of roads, if any.
Weather blogger Pradeep John said interior districts like Ranipet, Vellore, Tiruvannamalai, Tirupattur, and Krishnagiri, and Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh, and Bengaluru in Karnataka will experience rains on Saturday, while the rains in coastal areas will continue through Friday.
“The rains will be intermittent once we are close to the centre. We might see non-stop rains for few hours when the centre passes the areas in above districts. Once Mandous moves into Arabia sea, the West TN belt like Erode, Kovai and Nilgiris will get pull effect rains. Chennai too might see some rains from the pull clouds from other side,” he said.
The NDRF teams are equipped with flood rescue equipment, collapsed structure search and rescue equipment, appropriate communication equipment, and suitable personal protective equipment. The 24x7 control room of the NDRF in Arakkonam is closely monitoring the situation round the clock, the agency said.