Relief and rescue operations are underway by 30 NDRF personnel at the accident site in Tiruvannamalai.
Cyclone Fangal hit the coast between Karaikal in Puducherry and Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu at 7:30 pm on 30 November. The cyclone has now reached Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
A landslide occurred on a hill in Thiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu. According to the NDRF, a rock weighing about 40 tonnes slid down the hill and fell on houses on the road in VUC town, causing 2 houses to collapse. 7 people are believed to be trapped under the debris.
The names of the missing persons are: Rajkumar, Meena, Gautam, Iniya, Ramya, Vinodini and Maha Bhi. NDRF is trying to remove the rock with a hydraulic lift.
Images related to landslides…
After the landslide, small pieces of rock continued to fall from the mountain, due to which rescue operations were halted during the night.
Rescue operations resumed on Monday morning, but are facing difficulties due to rain.
Apart from NDRF, Tiruvannamalai Police is also engaged in rescue operations along with local people.
Rescuers say there is a rock on the Annamalai temple hill which could fall anytime. So 50 to 80 people have been evacuated from this area.
Buses and cars get stuck in Krishnagiri…
Vehicles parked on the road were stretched at the Uthangarai bus stand in Tamil Nadu's Krishnagiri district.
A 30-year rainfall record has been broken in Tamil Nadu's Puducherry Cyclone Fangal weakened on Sunday. Due to its impact, 3 people have died due to torrential rain. Puducherry district has received 49 cm of rain in 24 hours. This is the highest rainfall in 20 years. The army was called in due to flooding in urban areas. The army shifted 200 people to a safe place. A thousand people have also been shifted to relief camps.
Fangal storm – where and what effect
- Telangana: Thunderstorm warning, yellow alert in 10 districts – A yellow alert has been issued in 10 districts of Telangana on Monday indicating the possibility of storm and cyclone. Among these, strong winds and heavy rains are likely at Jayashankar Bhupalpally, Mulugu, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Khammam, Nalgonda, Suryapet, Mahbubabad, Warangal, Hanamkonda and Jangove.
- Kerala: Red alert in 8 districts: An orange alert has been issued for Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur and Palakkad, warning of heavy rains. While Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha and Kottayam are on yellow alert for heavy rain. Idukki has restricted the movement of pilgrims on the Mukkuzhi-Satram forest route from Kumily to Sabarimala due to rains.
- Karnataka: Schools-colleges closed, cold weather likely – Rain is likely in Bengaluru. In Chamarajnagar, it has been announced to keep the colleges closed except for the degree colleges which have exams on 2nd December.
- Tamil Nadu: Schools-Colleges Closed in 9 Districts – It is raining heavily in the state today. Only Salem, Dharmapuri, Thiruvannamalai, Tirupattur, Vellore and Ranipet districts have declared school holiday on December 2. While all schools-colleges in Cuddalore, Villupuram and Krishnagiri have holiday.
Saudi Arabia named the storm 'Fengal'
The storm has been named 'Fengal' by Saudi Arabia. It is an Arabic word, a blend of linguistic tradition and cultural identity. The term shows regional variation in the nomenclature panels of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission (UNESCAP).
When choosing a hurricane name ensure that the names are easy to pronounce, easy to remember and culturally fair. It is kept in mind that names should be such that they do not create any controversy between different regions and languages or offend anyone.
How are cyclones named?
- Generally, cyclones are named according to regional level regulations. A consensus was reached in 2004 to name Indian Ocean cyclones. In this, 13 countries have provided a list of names, which are given one after the other when a hurricane occurs.
- While choosing cyclone names, it is kept in mind that they should be easy to remember, easy to pronounce and not offensive. Their names are also chosen from different languages so that people living in different areas are familiar with them.
- The current list of cyclone names was compiled in 2020, with each member state contributing 13 names. These names are used in circulation. No names are reused. That is, every cyclone in the Indian Ocean is known by a different name.
- For example, the name 'Fengal' was suggested by Saudi Arabia. After this, the next cyclone will be named 'Shakti' and this name is suggested by Sri Lanka.
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
