Chennai, Dec 9 (UNI) Heavy rains accompanied by strong and blustery winds
lashed Chennai City, suburbs and neighbouring districts, as the weakend
Cyclonic Storm 'Mandous' came closer to Tamil Nadu and is all set to cross
the coast bwetween Puducherry and Sriharikota at Mamallapuram between
late tonight and early tomorrow.
Met Office sources said the storm now lay centred about 130 km southeast
of Mamallapuram, the epicentre, and is moving west-northwestwards at a
speed of 14 kmph.
It is likely to cross the coast for the 13th time--in 121 years (met office said)
from 1898 to 2021 between Tamil Nadu Nadu Puducherry coasts since 1898
to 2021--between 2300 hrs tonight and 0300 hrs early tomorrow.
As the system inched towards the Coast near Chennai, the intensity of the
rain gained momentum and it was accompanied by gale winds with the
speed ranging 75 kmph and expected to touch 85-90kmph at the time of
landfall.
The winds are blowing with such intensity that trees swayed to 360 degrees
across the city.
Several areas faced waterlogging problems as the city , which witnessed
scattered rarinfall with heavy spells at times since last night, started
receiving heavy spells from ths evening.
Officer-goers faced a tough time in returning to their homes as traffic snarls
were witenssed in arterial roads.
The Chennai Beach has been made out of bounds for public and transport
services has been stopped on the ECR stretch between Tamil Nadu and
Puducherry till the system crosses the coast.
More than 12,000 policemen and over 1,500 home guards were deployed on
security duty and the entire beach front has come under the police loop with
erection of barricades.
NDRFand SDRF teams have been despatched to several districts to take up
relief and restoration works post landfall, besides evacuating people from
low lying and vulnerbale areas using rubber boats and shifting them to more
than 5,000 relief centres set up by the government across all districts.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister M.K.Stalin, inspected the Special Control room
at the Ezhilagam complex in the city and reviewed the arrangements made
by the Revenue and the Disasater Management department to meet any
exigeincy.
Later, talking to reporters, he said the State Government is well prepared
to tackle the Cyclone situation and all rescue and relief operations are in
the State of preparedness.
"Whatever be the quantum of rain that will pound the city, suburbs and other
parts of the State, we are ready to face it and al preventive measures had
been taken", he said.
UNI GV 2033