Slow moving cyclone Fengal which remained stationed over North Tamil Nadu for over 24 hours wreaked havoc in the Villupuram-Tiruvannamalai-Dharmapuri-Krishnagiri belt, bringing unprecedented flooding in these districts.
In Villupuram district, around 160 km south of Chennai, over 160 lakes and water bodies have breached the danger mark and are overflowing. Most roads in Vikravandi and the surrounding villages in Villupuram district are cut off from the mainland. The district is completely battered by cyclone Fengal and continues to grapple under unprecedented floods. The heavy downpour has cut off access to villages as the roads and bridges are submerged in water.
“We did not have any prior information. We have lost everything. I don’t even have clothes to change,” says Rajeswari Velu, a 45-years-old woman who walked out from her house in hip deep water along with her family to reach a nearby relief centre. “There was no food and water for the past two days. No power rather”.
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In Villupuram, the Thenpennai river is overflowing, bringing massive flooding in most parts of the district. Several trees have been uprooted. At Arangandanallur, most houses are submerged in at least four feet of water.
Fengal brought 42 cm rain to Villupuram while the neighbouring districts of Tiruvannamalai and Dharmapuri received up to 33 cm of rainfall on December 1. In Villupuram, large swathes of agricultural land with standing crops are submerged in water. It is one of the important districts linking Chennai and Trichy. “Around 1,29,000 hectares of crops have been inundated in Villupuram, Kallakurichi and Tiruvannamalai districts due to cyclone Fengal,” Chief Minister M.K. Stalin told reporters after visiting the flood affected areas. He said that as many as nine NDRF teams and eight SDRF teams are working in Villupuram and Cuddalore for rescue and relief efforts.
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As water began rising above the danger level on the arterial bridge connecting Vikravani and Mundiyampakkam in Villupuram, the Southern Railway has suspended operations in the key stretch connecting Chennai and Tiruchirapalli. It said all trains will leave from Villupuram station instead of Chennai. Some of the super fast trains and express trains have been cancelled due to flooding.
Far away from Villupuram, in Uthangarai near Krishnagiri the vehicles parked on the roads near the highway were washed off by the massive flooding. Krishnagiri recorded 50 cm rain in one day and Uthangarai is the worst affected. The highway connecting Krishnagiri and Chennai is completely cut off with water flowing across the road. The Pochampally police station is also submerged in water.
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In Tiruvannamalai, at least seven people, including six children are feared trapped due to a landslide at the Annamalaiyar hills, under the mudslides. Rescue teams from NDRF and SDRF have been pressed to work since Sunday night to clear the mudslide at Annamalaiyar hill. At Least four bodies have been rescued until now, while the search for a few more feared buried under the mudslide is still going on.
