Cyclone Fengal: Disaster personnel use boats to rescue people in flooded Cuddalore

Cuddalore (Tamil Nadu), [India], December 1 (ANI): Many districts in Tamil Nadu are witnessing incessant rainfall after Cyclone Fengal made landfall last on November 30. Residential areas in Cuddalore district were flooded due to heavy rainfall and disaster teams are using boats to rescue people.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team led by District Collector Balaraman is rescuing the affected people with the help of boats.
The Tamil Nadu Disaster Rescue team removed a tree that fell on the national highway in Chinna Gangankuppam, a border area of Cuddalore and Puducherry, with the help of a JCB machine.
Meanwhile, Indian Army troops from the Chennai Garrison Battalion, operating under the Dakshin Bharat Area, were mobilized in the early hours of Sunday to assist in rescue operations in flood-affected areas of Puducherry.
Requisitioned by the Puducherry District Collector around 1 am, a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) column consisting of one officer, six Junior commissioned officers and 62 other ranks was deployed swiftly. The team left Chennai at 2 am and covered a distance of 160 kilometres overnight, reaching Puducherry around 5:30 am.
The team led by Major Ajay Sangwan was briefed about the critical situation in the Krishna Nagar area upon reaching Puducherry. The water level in some localities of Krishna Nagar rose to nearly five feet, leaving residents of nearly 500 houses stranded.
The efforts made by the Indian Army during its rescue operations started at 6:15 am, with over 100 individuals being evacuated in the first two hours.
Earlier, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) informed Cyclone Fengal made landfall on the coasts of Puducherry and Tamil Nadu and remained stationary for the last six hours close to the union territory nearly 30 kilometres north of Cuddalore and 40 kms east of Villupuram.
The IMD said that as of 5:30 am, the cyclone has not moved in the past six hours and remains stationary 120 kilometres south-southwest of Chennai.
It is expected to move westward slowly and likely to weaken into a deep depression over north coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in the next six hours, as per IMD. The weather department has issued a red alert for north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh.
Earlier in the day, Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy said that Puducherry received 50 centimetres of rainfall overnight which has led to flooding in the city. Rescue teams are working to evacuate stranded people, he said.
"Puducherry has received 50 cm of rainfall, resulting in severe flooding. I am currently inspecting the flood-affected areas. Rescue teams are working tirelessly to evacuate those stranded in the floodwaters," Chief Minister N Rangasamy told ANI.
Cyclone Fengal brought extremely heavy rainfall to Puducherry, with the Union Territory recording 48.4 centimetres of rain over 24 hours till 8:30 AM on December 1. This marked the highest 24-hour cumulative rainfall in the last 30 years between years 1995 to 2024.
Meanwhile, the Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) train services resumed normal operations in all suburban districts from December 1, railway officials said on Sunday. A Elumalai, Public Relations Officer from Chennai Divison, said that the train services in Chennai started their operations.
The EMU train services were severely affected on Saturday due to the heavy rainfall in Chennai, owing to Cyclonic storm Fengal that made landfall in Puducherry and coastal districts of north Tamil Nadu. (ANI)