Cyclone Fengal LIVE: Continuous rains cause waterlogging in parts of Chennai, other cities of Tamil Nadu

Puducherry experienced heavy rains on Saturday morning prompting the district administration to send SMS alerts to around 12 lakh residents cautioning them to remain vigilant as cyclonic storm Fengal is expected to make landfall near here later in the day. District Collector A Kulothungan told PTI that all necessary steps have been taken to ensure that people remained safe. "We have evacuated people from low lying areas and shelter homes were also ready to accommodate them. Arrangements were also made to supply food packets," he said adding that National Disaster Relief Force from Arakonam has arrived to engage in relief and rehabilitation works.

The Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority (TNDMA) urged residents to avoid visiting beaches, and amusement parks, and attending recreational events. Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) Mayor R. Priya assured the public that the civic body is fully prepared to handle the cyclone and heavy rains.

Dr Balachandran told media, "Mostly coastal districts, with the crossing point between Karaikal and Mahabalipuram near Puducherry, will experience more impact. There will be wind and rainfall. Today, wind speeds reached 50-60 km/h, gusting to 70 km/h. Between 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM, there will be extremely heavy rainfall, and at many places, there will be scattered heavy to very heavy rainfall."Meanwhile, Srinuvas, the Director of the Visakhapatnam Cyclone Warning Centre in Andhra Pradesh, said they had issued a warning for "extremely heavy rainfall" in the districts of Nellore, Tirupati, and Chittoor for the next 24 hours.He added, "...The cyclone is likely to move northwest and intensify into a cyclonic storm. In the next six hours, it is expected to move northwestward and cross the North Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coast. Cyclone alerts have been issued for the adjoining districts of Tamil Nadu. We have issued an extremely heavy rainfall warning for the districts of Nellore, Tirupati, and Chittoor for the next 24 hours."

As of now, a total of 471 people belonging to 164 families have been accommodated in six relief centres in Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam districts. Boats, generators, motor pumps and all other necessary machinery and equipment are ready in districts and NDRF and state teams have been deployed wherever needed, including Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Tiruvarur, Cuddalore, Thanjavur, Chengelpet and Chennai. Senior officials assigned to supervise and coordinate related tasks with district authorities are stationed in their respective districts.

Officials have asked the residents to stay indoors in view of cyclonic storm Fengal's likely landfall near Puducherry on Saturday afternoon. All schools and colleges here will remain closed on Saturday, they said. The cyclonic storm is likely to make landfall close to Puducherry with wind speeds up to 90 kmph, the India Meteorological Department said on Friday. District Collector A Kulothungan held discussions with the officials of PWD, local administration, police and other line departments and reviewed the situation. The Department of Revenue and Disaster Management has set up toll-free numbers 112 and 1077 to receive distress calls from the public. People can also seek help through the WhatsApp number 9488981070. Meanwhile, complying with an advisory, 4,153 boats have returned to the shore and 2,229 relief camps are ready for use if needed, the state government said.

As Cyclone Fengal approaches the coastal districts of Tamil Nadu, many coastal areas have experienced changes in weather, including high tides and rainfall, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported. According to the IMD, Cyclone Fengal is expected to hit the coastal area tomorrow evening. The weather department has issued warnings for North Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and the adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts. The IMD stated that the cyclonic storm Fengal, located over the southwest Bay of Bengal, moved north-northwestward at a speed of 7 km per hour during the past six hours. As of 11:30 pm on November 29, it was centered over the same region near latitude 11.8°N and longitude 81.7°E, about 360 km north of Trincomalee, 230 km east-northeast of Nagapattinam, 210 km east of Puducherry, and 210 km southeast of Chennai.