Cyclone Fengal killed at least 19 people in India and Sri Lanka and caused flooding in Tamil Nadu state and the Puducherry region after crossing India’s southern coast from the Bay of Bengal on Saturday.Puducherry had been hit by the heaviest 24-hour rainfall in 30 years, India’s weather office said on social media yesterday.The cyclone left parts of the southern city of Chennai inundated. Flights from the city were temporarily suspended on Saturday, but had resumed as of early yesterday morning, India’s airport authority said.Visuals on local media showed gusty winds and heavy rainfall with roads submerged and boats being used to rescue people.Residential colonies saw water entering homes, leaving vehicles partially submerged. Trees were uprooted, power lines snapped, and major roads rendered impassable. Relief centres have been set up with voluntary organisations stepping in to supply food to affected residents.The Indian army was running relief operations in Puducherry for people in the eye of the storm, while rainfall eased in Chennai.In the Villupuram district of Tamil Nadu, the cyclone’s impact was equally severe. Automatic weather stations recorded 504mm of rainfall in Mailam, while Nemmeli and Vanur reported 46cm and 41cm, respectively.In Sri Lanka, 16 people were killed, with heavy rains affecting a total of 138,944 families, the latest data from the Disaster Management Centre in Colombo showed.
