Cyclone Mandous Uproots Trees, Leaves Chennai Roads Waterlogged
A powerful cyclonic storm named Cyclone Mandous made landfall in Tamil Nadu late on Friday night with winds of 75 km/h. The cyclone has since become a severe depression. Around 11.30 p.m. on Friday, the cyclone made ashore.
At 1.30 a.m., it had crossed the coast near Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram) in Tamil Nadu, uprooting hundreds of trees in Chengalpattu and the nearby city of Chennai. Rain fell in Chennai up to 115 mm. According to Gagandeep Singh Bedi, Commissioner for the Greater Chennai Corporation, “About 200 trees have fallen, and we have been removing them since last night.”
He continued, “A huge harm has been avoided since we secured numerous hoardings early. The city experienced waterlogging as well. The districts of Chengalpattu and Chennai City are currently being cleared of fallen trees and are facing powercuts due to this. Along with shops along the seashore, boats have been damaged in Kovalam, which is close to Mamallapuram. “Shops’ tin roofs were destroyed by wind.
The state’s fisheries and revenue officials are investigating boat damage “said Kovalam Village Panchayat President Shobana Thangam.
At the Chennai airport, 13 domestic flights and 3 foreign flights were cancelled due to severe weather before the landfall. Chennai International Airport stated, “Passengers are encouraged to check with concerned airline(s) for further updates.”
It was formerly rated as a “Severe Cyclonic Storm,” the fourth-highest intensity category on the scale, with gusts between 89 and 117 km/h. Since then, it has reduced to a “Cyclonic Storm” with gusts between 62 and 88 km/h. (Super Cyclonic Storms, with winds of 222 km/h or more, are the most severe form.) The Tamil Nadu government has opened more than 5,000 aid centres in addition to stationing National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams in ten districts. There are 28 such centres now home to 1,058 families in the Chengalpattu district alone.
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