With only a few hours left for cyclone Mandous to make landfall near Tamil Nadu's Mamallapuram, the state's coastal areas were struck by heavy rain and strong winds on Friday, December 9. The incessant rain is likely to continue over the next 24 hours across the state, as per the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD).
On Thursday, December 8, Nagapattinam district received the highest amount of rainfall (26.6 mm) while Kanyakumari received the lowest rainfall (0.05mm). On December 10, heavy to very heavy rain is expected in Tiruvallur, Chennai, Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, Ranipettai, Vellore, Tirupathur, Tiruvannamalai, Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri. Isolated rainfall is expected in Nilgiris, Erode, Salem, Kallakurichi, and Villupuram.
Fishermen have been asked not to venture into the southwest Bay of Bengal, Gulf of Mannar for fishing as strong wind is expected when the cyclone crosses the coast. The height of the tides will be around 3.5 metres to 5.2 metres in the coastal areas between Vedaranyam and Pulicat.
The Tamil Nadu government has informed that it has taken various steps to avoid any kinds of casualties and accidents. These measures include issuing warnings to people living in low-lying areas to move to camps set up the government. The state revenue department detailed the actions taken by the government in a press release. According to the revenue department:
> A holiday has been declared for schools and colleges on Saturday, December 10, in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Vellore and Villupuram districts.
> Through the common alert protocol, SMS alerts have been sent to nearly 58.47 lakh people regarding the cyclone.
> Fourteen groups comprising 476 State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel have been deployed in ten districts – Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Cuddalore, Mayiladurai, Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu and Villupuram.
> Three disaster response teams comprising 121 personnel have been deployed in Chengalpattu district, where cyclone Mandous is expected to cross the coast between the midnight of December 9 and the early hours of December 10.
> Across the state, nearly 5093 relief camps have been set up, with 169 camps in Chennai.
> To assist people, the helpline centres in the district quarters across the state are asked to function 24 hours with additional staff.
People can reach Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) on these numbers: 1913, 044-2561 9206, 044-2561 9207 and 044-2561 9208. People can also send WhatsApp messages to 94454 77205 to seek help from GCC.
The Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority (TNSDMA) helplines are 1070 (state helpline), 1077 (district helpline) and 94458 69848 (WhatsApp).
> A total of 424 special teams have been deployed across coastal areas to give alerts and updates about the cyclone to residents.
> Tamil Nadu Health Ma Subramanian instructed all the government hospitals and Primary Health Centres to be ready with sufficient medical teams having doctors, nurses and staff. “As per the direction from CM MK Stalin, the health department instructed hospitals to ensure the availability of necessary medicines,” said Subramanian at a press meet.
> Electricity Minister Senthil Balaji told the media that 44,000 damaged electricity poles have been replaced and two lakh poles have been kept ready to handle emergency situations. The Tamil Nadu Electrity Board (TNEB) has kept 11,000 additional workers to carry out 24 hours emergency work, he said.
Cyclone Mandous is several hours away from making landfall but its impact is already being felt in Tamil Nadu. Heavy rains and strong tides, brought on by the cyclonic storm, have partially damaged the wooden pathway for persons with disability at the Marina Beach in Chennai. Several of the wooden planks along the ramp have come apart due to the strong winds and tidal surge caused by the cyclonic storm.