Chennai (The Hawk): Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal have seen strong and furious rainfall as a result of Cyclone Mandous, which made landfall near Mahabalipuram on Friday. The cyclone is anticipated to weaken into a depression by Saturday morning and move in a west-northwest direction, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Due to the cyclonic storm, 300 trees were uprooted in Chennai alone. In order to prevent traffic interruption, a sizable team was mobilised to cut and remove the fallen trees.
In several areas of Tamil Nadu, the public transportation system is negatively impacted by the nonstop rain and flooding. In 27 districts of Tamil Nadu, holidays have been set aside for educational institutions like colleges and schools. Gagan Singh Bedi, the commissioner of the Greater Chennai Corporation, stated to the media, "Since more than 300 trees were uprooted by the cyclonic storm in Chennai alone, a sizable civic crew is working to clear the fallen trees. Everything will be in order by evening."
The ECR Highway, which connects Chennai to Mahabalipuram, is closed to traffic, and the Chengalpattu and Kanchipuram municipal governments have issued warnings for residents to stay inside. There is a power outage in parts of the Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, North Chennai, and Mahabalipuram sectors, and Tangedco officials informed the media that the outage would soon restart.
At Chennai Airport, a total of 27 flights were cancelled. Even though flooding was not observed, there is severe water logging in many sections of the Chennai and Chengalpattu districts. According to IMD officials, Villupuram, Ranipet, Tirupathur, Vellore, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Chennai, and Salem districts are predicted to see heavy to very heavy rains. On Saturday, there will be significant rain in the Chengalpattu and Kanceehpuram districts as well.
(Inputs from Agencies)