NEW DELHI/BENGALURU: Cyclone Fengal crossed India’s southern coast from the Bay of Bengal on Saturday, killing at least 19 people in India and Sri Lanka and causing flooding in Tamil Nadu state and the Puducherry region.
On social media on Sunday, India’s weather service said that Puducherry had experienced the most intense 24-hour rainfall in 30 years.
Parts of Chennai, a metropolis in the south, were submerged by the cyclone. According to India’s airport administration, flights from the city were resumed as of Sunday morning after being momentarily halted on Saturday.
Images from the local media showed roads flooded and people being rescued by boats as a result of strong winds and a lot of rain.
While Chennai’s rainfall subsided, the Indian army was conducting relief efforts in Puducherry for those affected by the storm.
According to the most recent data from the Disaster Management Centre in Colombo, 16 persons were killed in Sri Lanka, and 138,944 families were impacted by the intense rainfall.
With persistent winds of 70–80 km/h (43–50 miles per hour), Cyclone Fengal made ashore late Saturday.
According to Tamil Nadu state disaster management minister KKSSR Ramachandran, the storm in Chennai electrocuted three individuals.
According to the Times of India, there were four fatalities in India, along with “flooding” and “trees falling, but not to the extent feared.”
In the northern Indian Ocean, cyclones—the equivalent of hurricanes in the North Atlantic or typhoons in the northwest Pacific—are a frequent and fatal threat.
India’s weather bureau issued a warning about heavy rainfall in sections of the country’s south, even though the storm is predicted to gradually fade into a depression later on Sunday.
It stated that there was a “moderate to high flash flood risk” in certain regions and recommended that fishing operations be completely suspended.
Earlier this week, Fengal killed at least 12 people, including six children, as it swerved along the Sri Lankan coast.
As the world warms as a result of climate change brought on by the use of fossil fuels, scientists have warned that storms are getting stronger.
More water vapor is released from warmer ocean surfaces, giving storms more energy and bolstering winds.
They can also hold more water due to a warmer environment, which increases rainfall. However, the number of fatalities has significantly decreased due to improved forecasting and more efficient evacuation preparation.
