CHENNAI, Dec 10: Mandous the cyclone made landfall in Mamallapuram on the eastern
coast south of Chennai late Friday night. Due to the storm, 16 flights, including
three international flights were cancelled. Storm water has flooded many areas
of Chennai and suburbs which received up to 115 mm of rain. Suburban trains are
being cancelled. The coastal highway has been closed to traffic.
The gusts reaching 85 kmph began crossing the east coast at Mamallapuram at
9:30 pm on Friday and the landfall that took over an hour was over by 1:30 am.
The coastal and interior areas from Puducherry south of Chennai up to Srikakulam
in Andhra was pummelled by the slow moving cyclone.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned that the storm and the
heavy rain in Chennai and interior areas will continue, most likely till evening.
It asks people not to venture out till then. At day break, the cyclone weakened
into a deep depression and was moving west-northwestwards. The north-west districts
will experience gusts of 55-65 kmph. Thunderstorm and lightning is likely to
occur at a few places over Tiruvallur, Chennai, Chengalpattu and Kancheepuram
districts.
The devastation wreaked by the cyclone and torrential rain that began late
evening on Friday in Tamil Nadu is being assessed. Initial reports spoke of
buildings damaged, trees uprooted, vehicles damaged, roads waterlogged, wall
collapses and other losses. Several structures on Marina beach were destroyed.
The city was blacked out. Ten substation were affected.
The Tamil Nadu Government has opened 5,000 relief centres. In Chengalpattu
district, over 1,000 families have been moved to 28 such centres.
The sweep of the cyclone extended southwards up to Puducherry. The NDRF has
been deployed by Andhra Pradesh along its coast, which has also been affected
by the cyclone and accompanying rain. Srikakulam took the brunt.
