At least six people had been killed as Cyclone Vardah howled through Chennai between 1pm and 2.30pm on Monday. Most of the deaths, including that of a 3-year-old boy took place due to incidents of wall collapse.
Chennai was on its knees, fighting road blocks triggered by thousands of uprooted trees, and virtual blackout even hours after the storms that touched 140kmph died down.
“I’ve never seen anything like (this) in my life …” said a weather blogger as per a report in TOI. “(It’s) absolute carnage here. Though I love cyclone, fear is striking at heart.”
Termed as a ‘very severe cyclonic storm,’ Vardah hit the city the first time since 1994. It caused huge destruction. Around 2,810 trees fell, injuring people, blocking roads and choking traffic.
Airport remained closed since 8am as flights could not land or take off in the gust.
While 39 train services were called off by Southern Railway, several others were rescheduled. All the mode of transportation services were affected due to storm.
At times, the city also remained in the dark.
TNEB officials were able to weigh the damage only in the evening after the cyclone passed. It would take at least a day to restore power to all parts, said officials.
By evening, the Met department noted 11cm of rain at the city centre and 17cm near the airport.
