Cyclone Fengal which approached Coastal districts of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and parts of Andhra Pradesh has caused heavy rainfall along with strong winds leading to Land fall on the cost of Pondicherry at around 7:00 p.m. on Saturday. Several areas have flooded particularly in Cuddalore However on Sunday, the effects of the cyclone had weakened into a deep depression and Pondicherry declared a holiday for schools and colleges on Monday. Today, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) informed that the cyclone has become weaker as the storm has moved west-northwestward at a speed of 7 km/h during the past six hours and was centred at 11: 30 p.m. on December 1, 2024.
The IMD took on X and said that the storms are expected to continue the trend of moving west-northwestward and gradually weaken into a well-marked low-pressure area over north interior Tamil Nadu during the next six hours.
“The depression (remnant of Cyclonic Storm Fengal) over the north coastal Tamil Nadu & Puducherry moved west-northwestward at a speed of 7 km/h during the past six hours and was centered at 23:30 IST on December 1, 2024, near latitude 12.2°N and longitude 79.2°E, about 40 km northwest of Villupuram, 70 km west-northwest of Puducherry, about 80 km northwest of Cuddalore, and 140 km southwest of Chennai.
The remnant low-pressure area is expected to emerge over the southeast and adjoining east-central Arabian Sea off the north Kerala-Karnataka coasts around December 3, 2024. The system is being continuously monitored by the Doppler Weather Radar at Karaikal,”
Rescue Operation underway
This is the highest amount of rainfall that Pondicherry has witnessed in the last three decades with a 48.6 CM of rainfall in 24 hours. The heavy downpours have disturbed the daily life of the citizens due to power outages, traffic due to flooding and fallen trees etc. The Indian Army soldiers were deployed to affected areas in Puducherry and other parts of Tamil Nadu, where the efforts to evacuate standard people are underway. Around 600 people were rescued from different locations in Puducherry using inflatable boats as roads were full of water. The Tamilnadu Chief Minister MK Stalin also stated that around 27000 people got food packets from Amma canteens. Over 9.10 lakh food packets have been given to over 1.07 lakh people by Sunday.
Several measures were taken in Chennai to reduce the damages made by the cyclone including installation of large motors to clear water logging issues. Chennai was relatively less affected as post arrangements were made by the government. A total of 1,700 water motor pumps were kept ready which facilitates minimising the flooding. Moreover, 21 subways have resumed working and only two are closed due to railway work. Meanwhile, Chennai Egmore-Tiruchchirappalli Cholan Express, Villupuram-Tambaram passenger train, as well as the Puducherry-Chennai Egmore Express were cancelled. Chennai Airport resumed operations at 1 am Sunday but faced delays and cancellations early in the day.
Bengaluru sees effects of Cyclone Fengal
Furthermore, Bengaluru and other parts of South interior Karnataka are also witnessing heavy rainfall likely due to the effects of the cyclone Fengal. The IMD has predicted intense rainfall on Monday in Bengaluru and other parts of Karnataka. However, no holiday has been issued in Bengaluru, and schools and colleges are running as usual. Several citizens took to social media to express their frustration where one user wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “Horrible weather in Bengaluru. Wondering why the government hasn’t declared a holiday for schools today.” Many were concerned about their children who are going to school in such a weather and have urged authorities to declare holidays until situations are better. Light to moderate rain is expected in isolated areas in the city till December 5, according to the IMD.
