Cyclone Fengal Leads to Closure of Educational Institutions in Puducherry Today
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Puducherry, Dec 3 (NationPress) The Education Minister of Puducherry, A. Namachivayam, has confirmed that all government and private educational institutions, including colleges, will remain closed on Tuesday as a result of the heavy rainfall induced by Cyclone Fengal.
In a related development, Chief Minister N. Rangaswamy stated on Monday that the Puducherry government will provide relief assistance of Rs 5,000 to every ration cardholder impacted by Cyclone Fengal.
"Puducherry experienced an unexpected 48 percent increase in rainfall due to the cyclone. Consequently, the Puducherry government has resolved to allocate Rs 5,000 to each ration cardholder affected by this natural disaster," Rangaswamy informed the press.
"Additionally, the heavy rainfall has resulted in damage to over 10,000 hectares of crops across the region. We will be providing Rs 30,000 for each hectare affected to assist the farmers. Cyclone Fengal has wreaked havoc across Puducherry and Tamil Nadu. The recent floods have also damaged 50 boats, and the government will offer a relief package of Rs 10,000 for their repairs," he elaborated.
The cyclone has caused exceptionally heavy rainfall in the coastal regions of northern Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
One of the most affected areas is the Sankaraparani River in Puducherry, where more than 200 homes in NR Nagar have been flooded. Residents in this locality remain stranded as the Indian Army and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are conducting rescue operations.
The Union Territory has seen significant flooding, particularly around the Sankaraparani River in Puducherry, with over 200 residences in NR Nagar submerged.
Rescue teams are dedicated to saving lives, deploying boats to navigate through the flooded streets and evacuating residents in need.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Cyclone Fengal diminished into a deep depression on Sunday after making landfall near the coast of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on November 30. Puducherry recorded a staggering 46 cm of rainfall within a 24-hour period, surpassing the previous record of 21 cm set on October 31, 2004, thus breaking a 30-year record.
"The Cyclonic Storm FENGAL (pronounced as FEINJAL) over north coastal Tamil Nadu & Puducherry remained virtually stationary for the past 12 hours, weakened into a deep depression, and was centered at 11:30 hours IST today, the 1st December 2024 over the same region near latitude 12.0°N and longitude 79.8°E, close to Puducherry, about 30 km north of Cuddalore, 40 km east of Villupuram, and 120 km south-southwest of Chennai," the weather department reported last week on X.
