Cyclonic Storm ‘Fengal’, currently located over the Bay of Bengal, is expected to make landfall on the afternoon of November 30 near Puducherry with wind speeds reaching up to 90 km/h, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) announced on November 29.
Earlier, the IMD confirmed that a deep depression in the region had intensified into a cyclonic storm. As a result, heavy to very heavy rainfall is anticipated in parts of north Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, with extremely heavy rainfall in isolated locations.
With Fengal set to make landfall, the Tamil Nadu government has urged residents to stay indoors and declared November 30 a holiday for educational institutions. IT companies have been advised to allow employees to work from home. In preparation, public transport on East Coast Road and Old Mahabalipuram Road, both close to the shoreline, will be suspended from Saturday afternoon.
Minister for Revenue and Disaster Management, KKSSR Ramachandran, convened a meeting with senior officials at the state emergency operations centre to review preparedness and relief measures.
An official statement from the Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority urged the public to avoid beaches, amusement parks, and recreational events, and to fully cooperate with the government's disaster prevention efforts. Construction companies were instructed to secure machinery and equipment and those responsible for advertisement hoardings were advised to ensure their removal to prevent accidents.
As of an IMD update at 8:40 pm on today, Fengal was located approximately 240 km east-northeast of Nagapattinam, 230 km east-southeast of Puducherry and 250 km southeast of Chennai.
The storm is expected to move west-northwestward and make landfall on the northern Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coast between Karaikal and Mahabalipuram, close to Puducherry, with winds reaching 70-80 km/h, gusting to 90 km/h, in the afternoon of November 30.
The IMD also forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall in isolated parts of interior Tamil Nadu on December 1 with further heavy rainfall predicted for December 2 and 3.
In response to the advisory, 4,153 boats have been brought ashore, and 2,229 relief camps have been set up across the state. So far, 471 people from 164 families have been accommodated in six relief centres in Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam districts. Essential equipment, such as boats, generators, and motor pumps, is being deployed to affected areas, with NDRF and state teams on standby in districts like Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Tiruvarur, Cuddalore, Thanjavur, Chengelpet and Chennai.
Senior officials have been assigned to oversee coordination with district authorities, and light to moderate rainfall, with some heavy showers, has been reported in Chennai and surrounding districts, including Chengelpet, Kanchipuram, Tiruvallur, and the delta regions of Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur.
(With inputs from PTI)