Mandous leaves behind inundated Marina Beach in Chennai
Dec 10, 2022
Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], December 10 : Hours after Cyclone Mandous made landfall, videos from Tamil Nadu showed its capital's Marina Beach here submerged under at least a foot of water.
Painting a bleak picture, the visuals doing rounds on social media showed the many public utilities on the beach bearing brunt of the storm. The joy wheel for children jutting out of water, shanties covered and floating as their owners wore sad looks, besides swings and chairs standing aloof without their occupants at the famous beach that every day sees thousands of visitors.
While the Saturday pictures showed the beach inundated, Friday it was all windy with sand blowing around. Water had reached the main road near the beach. "No beach or sand left on Marina Beach," some of the responses on social media said.
Chennai and several other parts of Tamil Nadu witnessed heavy rain and strong winds as the cyclonic storm crossed the state on Saturday after landfall, as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
A portion of a 'permanent ramp' that was installed on November 27 at the beach to help differently-abled people, was also damaged by strong winds on Saturday
The IMD said Mandous has weakened after completing landfall process late Friday.
It will weaken to a deep depression and later a depression on Saturday, as per the regional Met office.
S Balachandran, DDGM, RMC Chennai, said, "Cyclone Mandous crossed the coast and is in deep depression and its strength is weakening. It is moving towards the Northwest direction so areas in northwest districts will witness strong winds of 55-65 kmph which will further decrease by evening to 30-40 kmph."
Several areas in Chennai saw waterlogging and squally winds uprooting trees in the state capital and the nearby Chengalpattu district.
The rainfall triggered by the cyclone has caused severe waterlogging in low-lying areas. Roads in the MMDA Colony in Arumbakkam here were submerged. A video showed a large tree uprooted in Egmore, damaging a petrol bunk nearby.
Earlier Saturday, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) requested people to avoid going out until Cyclone Mandous weakens. It is said that almost 65 trees fell in three hours and motor pumps were being used to remove water stagnation in low-lying areas.
Chief Minister MK Stalin has confirmed at least four deaths due to the natural calamity that struck Tamil Nadu.
