A cyclone is developing over the Bay of Bengal, and the states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Puducherry (Union Territory) have been warned to prepare.
The depression is located roughly 900 km southeast of Chennai, over the southeast Bay of Bengal, according to the Indian Meteorological Department, or IMD. As the storm intensifies, NDRF units, the army, and the navy have also been placed on alert.
According to the IMD’s most recent report, “Depression lay centred around 11:30 pm on December 6 over southeast Bay of Bengal, approximately 840 km east-southeast of Karaikal, and approximately 900 km southeast of Chennai.”
By this evening, the depression is probably going to become a cyclone storm. By tomorrow morning, it should reach the shores of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and South Andhra Pradesh.
The majority of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, as well as coastal regions in Andhra Pradesh, are anticipated to get heavy to extremely heavy rainfall from the cyclonic storm, which will be known as Cyclone Mandous. Thunderstorms and lightning will also accompany the rain, according to IMD.
On December 8, Tamil Nadu is expected to have severe rain, and 13 districts have been placed under a red alert by the IMD. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has therefore sent six teams to Tamil Nadu ahead of December 8. In Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, Cuddalore, Mayiladuthurai, and Chennai, they have been placed.
Due to the intense rain, three NDRF teams would be sent to Puducherry and Karaikal. When the cyclone comes across the shore, there will be two operational control centres and medical facilities.
In the coming days, the sea will be quite rough in the Andaman Sea, some portions of the Bay of Bengal, and the coastal regions of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Andhra Pradesh. As a result, the weather office also cautioned fisherman against going out on the water.
Teams for Andhra Pradesh are also maintained on standby and will be engaged as soon as the state government requests them, it said.
Ships and aircraft, as well as army and navy rescue and relief teams, have been maintained on readiness. With its ships, the coast guard is likewise prepared.
Cabinet Secretary Gauba reviewed readiness and emphasised the need for central agencies, state and union territory governments, and individuals to take preventive and precautionary actions.
The goal should be to prevent fatalities and to minimise damage to property and infrastructure, such as power and telecom, and in the event that damage occurs, it must be repaired as soon as feasible, according to a statement.
By the morning of December 8, the low-pressure area that developed over the Bay of Bengal on December 5 is likely to be moving west-northwestward, intensifying into a cyclonic storm, and reaching the southwest Bay of Bengal near the coasts of north Tamil Nadu-Puducherry and adjacent south Andhra Pradesh.
The United Arab Emirates have given the cyclone the name Cyclone Mandous, which translates to “treasure box” in Arabic. After Cyclone Sitrang, which made landfall on the Bangladesh coast in October, it will be the second tropical storm to form in the Bay of Bengal after the monsoon this year.
