Three people were killed in as many heavy rain-related incidents in Chennai on Saturday.
Published Nov 30, 2024 | 12:05 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 30, 2024 | 10:04 PM
A flooded Pattalam-Demelons Road in Chennai on Saturday.
Three people were killed in separate incidents in Chennai even as Cyclone Fengal began making landfall near Puducherry on Saturday, 30 November.
The weather department said the cyclone would take about four hours to cross the coast. Expecting strong winds, the Chennai airport suspended all flights till 4 am on Sunday, 1 December.
Earlier, strong crosswinds at a height of 300 metres to 1,000 metres above the runway had prompted the airport to suspend its operations from noon to 7 pm, Saturday. Airlines had raised safety concerns over operating flights — both incoming and outgoing — in such adverse weather conditions.
Cyclone Fengal, which began making landfall at 5.30 pm, is likely to cross the Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coast in around three hours, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
At 7.30 pm, the IMD updated that the cyclone’s spiral bands had already reached land, and the storm was likely to continue in the west-southwestward direction and cross the coast between Karaikal and Mahabalipuram near Puducherry.
The cyclonic storm has been projected to maintain wind speeds of 70-80 kmph with gusts reaching 90 kmph over the next three to four hours.
Three people were killed in as many heavy rain-related incidents in Chennai on Saturday.
A migrant worker from Uttar Pradesh was electrocuted after he slipped and came into contact with a live power line outside an ATM at Muthiyalpet in North Chennai.
The man, identified as Chandan, is the first Cyclone Fengal-related casualty in Tamil Nadu as the state braced for the impact of the tropical storm, expected to make landfall between Karaikal and Mahabalipuram on Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coast around 7 pm on Saturday.
Chandan, employed at a Parrys shop, had been sharing a dormitory with other migrant workers. The incident occurred when he went to the ATM to withdraw cash.
He slipped and fell outside the ATM and touched an iron pole, which was in contact with the live wire. The body floated in the floodwaters for sometime before the Muthiyalpet police shifted it for a post-mortem examination.
Isaivan at Vyasarpadi Ganeshapuram and Sakthivel at Velachery were the other men who were killed.
Chennai, Tiruvallur, Villupuram, Kancheepuram, and Chengalpettu were issued a red alert while an orange alert was issued to a few districts including Ranipet, Tiruvarur, Nagapatinnam and Mayiladuthurai.
#Alert | In light of Cyclonic Storm ‘Fengal’ and the forecasted high crosswinds, as predicted by IMD, Chennai Airport operations will be suspended from 1230 hrs to 1900 hrs on 30.11.2024 (Today) following safety concerns raised by stakeholder airlines. We recommend passengers… pic.twitter.com/f2eWTOrNLj
— Chennai (MAA) Airport (@aaichnairport) November 30, 2024
The downpour has put daily life out of order and caused water-logging in many parts of the capital city, with low-lying areas of North Chennai like Tondiarpet and the IOC vicinity, in particular, facing water logging.
The Koyambedu vegetable market too has been waterlogged due to the incessant rains since Friday night even as rains induced by Cyclone Fengal led to roads and streets being knee-deep or above knee-level in water.
The water logging has created hazardous conditions, forcing motorists to drive through flooded streets with great difficulty. Subsequently, the Greater Chennai Corporation temporarily closed seven tunnels to traffic on the morning of Saturday, 30 November 2024 to ensure public safety.
To ensure passenger safety, the Southern Railway’s Chennai Division has also announced that EMU train services across all suburban sections will run at reduced frequency intervals until further notice. The authorities are closely monitoring the situation and urged the residents to avoid non-essential travel.
Officials with the Greater Chennai Corporation provided food for people who were shifted to relief camps due to flooded streets or water-logged houses.
Meanwhile, high tides and heavy winds were reported in Marakkanam, Villupuram district. For the second consecutive day, the sea in the Marakkanam region has been witnessing high tides reaching up to 15 feet, accompanied by strong coastal winds.
The Fisheries Department had issued a directive prohibiting fishermen from going to sea until further notice since the formation of the deep depression. As a result, fishermen haven’t been able to venture into the sea for the past five days.
Similarly, fishermen from the 28 coastal villages, including Tharangambadi, Poompuhar, Vanagiri, Thirumullaivasal, Pazhaiyar, and Chandrapadi of the Mayiladuthurai district too have not ventured into the sea since 22 November.
While mechanized boats have been safely docked at fishing harbours, over 3,000 fibre boats remain along the shores. Anticipating strong winds, fishermen in Vanagiri village have started moving their boats to higher ground with the help of tractors.
Similarly, fishing nets have also been brought ashore and safely stored. Although the sea has slightly calmed compared to Friday, fishermen fear it could be the calm before the storm.
Additionally, strong cold winds continue to blow, forcing residents to stay indoors and disrupting daily life. The harsh weather has left locals struggling to cope, significantly impacting normal activities in the region.
#ChennaiRainsUpdate: North Chennai Fishermen Secure Boats Ahead of #Cyclone Warning
In response to the cyclone alert in the Bay of Bengal, fishermen across Mayiladuthurai district have refrained from venturing into the sea since 22 November. Communities from 28 coastal villages,… pic.twitter.com/agExLNZYss
— South First (@TheSouthfirst) November 30, 2024
The IMD on Saturday, in a press release, said that “The Fengal cyclone over Southwest Bay of Bengal moved west-northwestwards with a speed of 12 kmph during past 6 hours and lay centred at 0530 hours IST of today, the 30th November 2024 over the same region near latitude 12.2°N and longitude 81.2°E, about 150 km east of Puducherry, 140 km southeast of Chennai, 210 km northeast of Nagappattinam and 400 km north of Trincomalee.”
The release further read, “It is likely to move nearly westwards and cross north Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts between Karaikal and Mahabalipuram close to Puducherry as a cyclonic storm with a wind speed of 70-80 kmph gusting to 90 kmph during the evening of 30th November.”
(Edited by Sumavarsha, with inputs from Nitika Shivani)
