Chennai residents move vehicles to flyovers as Cyclone Fengal nears Tamil Nadu coast | Chennai News – Times of India

The cyclone will make landfall near Puducherry, bringing heavy rain and winds. Fishermen advised staying ashore. Recovery services are on alert for stranded luxury cars.

NEW DELHI: With Cyclone Fengal moving towards the Tamil Nadu coast, residents in Chennai’s Velachery have parked their vehicles on flyovers, fearing flash floods in low-lying areas.
The cyclone, currently north-northwest of the Bay of Bengal, is expected to make landfall near Puducherry by this evening.
Get live updates on Cyclone Fengal
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that Fengal, now located over the southwest Bay of Bengal, is advancing at 7 km/h and will cross the north Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coast between Karaikal and Mahabalipuram by tomorrow afternoon.

Warnings for heavy rain and winds of 70-80 km/h, with gusts up to 90 km/h, have been issued.
As the storm nears, Chennai and nearby districts are already seeing high tides and gusty winds. While the IMD anticipates the system to weaken into a depression post-landfall, it will still bring moderate to heavy rain and rough sea conditions. Fishermen have been urged to stay ashore.
Authorities have warned of severe weather between Puducherry and North Tamil Nadu, with extremely heavy rainfall expected around 1pm on Saturday.
The weather is set to worsen as the cyclone nears landfall.
In October, about 120 luxury cars were stranded on waterlogged roads, with recovery services receiving numerous calls for assistance. Luxury vehicles, often equipped with sensitive electronic systems, require specialized recovery methods.
S. Renjith Kumar, owner of OMR Towing Service, detailed how technicians manually release the brakes to free the vehicles, which are then towed using specialized cranes. Recovery costs range from Rs 1,000 to Rs 3,500, with additional charges for technicians during the monsoon season.