As many as 21 flights emanating from Chennai have been cancelled by the Chennai airport authorities in view of cyclonic weather, with the Mandous cyclone expected to cross the Tamil Nadu coast near Mamallapuram on Saturday morning.

Several parts of Tamil Nadu are witnessing light to moderate rainfall, with some places receiving heavy showers on Friday as cyclonic storm ‘Mandous’ continues to move closer to the State’s coastline. It is set to cross the coast near here starting at midnight, the India Meteorological Department said on Friday.

Several weather stations in and around Chennai clocked rainfall of 7 cm each in the morning; it was light to moderate in other regions. From 6 pm, till midnight, the departures of several flights from Chennai have been cancelled. However, trains including suburban services are in operation.

Bus services are facing disruption in view of water-logging in some areas. TN transport dept will not ply busses on Mamallapuram and ECR routes. Schools and colleges will be closed in at least 10 several districts today and on Saturday.

The Marina beach in Chennai had been closed for the public. Buses around Mamallapuram and East Coast Road will not be available two hours prior and post the landfall.

The Tamil Nadu Electricity Board said that power supply in Chennai and adjoining districts like Kanchipuram could be cut for about two hours tonight as wind speeds increased.

The IMD said that Doppler weather radars are monitoring the cyclone which weakened into a cyclonic storm on December 9 after being a severe cyclonic storm for less than 24 hours.

Mandous, pronounced ‘man-dous’ is an Arabic word and it means treasure box. The name was reportedly picked by the United Arab Emirates.

Chennai Airport authorities said that operations could be suspended once the wind speed reaches 20 knots (37.04mph). A travel advisory, and NOTAM will be issued in that case.

Bangalore and Hyderabad airports will allot bays due to flight diversions from Chennai.

Greater Chennai Corporation has readied pumps and saws, in order to clear trees or large branches that may fall. 272 saws, 45 earthmovers for each area, 115 tipper lorries, and hydraulic saws are on standby.

NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) personnel had been deployed in 10 districts including Nagapattinam, and Thanjavur in the Cauvery delta region, Chennai, its three neighbouring districts, and Cuddalore.

Water was being released from Chembarambakkam, Poondi lakes. Surplus water was being released at 100 cubic feet per second from Chembarambakkam and Poondi reservoirs from 12 pm today.

Marina Beach’s newly built ramp for disabled had been damaged by strong winds. The 263-metre ramp which was inaugurated on November 27, was constructed at a cost of Rs 1.14 crores. It was built for persons with disabilities to easily reach the water without manoeuvring their way through the beach sands.

More than 10 houses in Puducherry’s Pillaichavadi fishing villages were washed away.  Weathermen said in the last 120 years, there were 12 cyclones which had crossed the coast between Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. This would be the 13^th such cyclone.

The city helpline numbers are: 1913 (Chennai Corporation), 044-25619206/07/08