Cyclone Fengal alert: Holiday declared for schools and colleges in Puducherry and Karaikal

Amid heavy rains lashing the southern state, holiday has been declared for all government and private schools, government-aided schools and colleges in Puducherry and Karaikal tomorrow, November 28, 2024, announced Puducherry Education Minister, Arumugam Namassivayam.

Rain-related incidents, including the collapse of an old house at Tarangampadi and the wall of a Dharga's tank at Jambuvanodai in Tiruvarur district have been reported. Trees were uprooted and some fell on nearby electricity poles causing power failure and many localities were inundated.

According to an IMD's rainfall update, very heavy rainfall was recorded in several areas, including Nagapattinam (19 cm) and Chennai (13 cm), from 8.30 am on November 26 until 8.30 am the following day.


Also, there was widespread heavy rainfall, including in the delta areas, and the rest of the state experienced mild to moderate showers. NDRF and state teams have been deployed in delta districts and Chennai as well.

Given the rains, November 27 has been declared a holiday for schools and colleges, including Tiruvarur, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, and Mayiladuthurai districts. A holiday has been declared only for schools in Chennai, Chengelpet, Ariyalur, and Kanchipuram.

According to the IMD's bulletin, the deep depression over the southwest Bay of Bengal is about 370 km southeast of Nagapattinam and 550 km south-southeast of Chennai.

The deep depression is very likely to intensify further into a cyclonic storm on November 27 and heavy to very heavy rain at a few places and extremely heavy rain at one or two places is likely in Cuddalore and Mayiladuthurai districts.

Heavy to very heavy rain is likely to occur at isolated places in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, Villupuram, Ariyalur, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam and Pudukkottai districts.