Cyclone Michaung Strikes: Heavy rains submerged roads in southern India on Tuesday, causing havoc hours before a severe cyclone was due to make landfall. At least nine people, including a child, were killed in the flooding. (PTI Photo)
Expected Landfall: Cyclone Michaung is expected to hit the coast of Andhra Pradesh state around 11 a.m. local time (0530 GMT), the weather office said. The cyclone will bring with it winds of up to 110 kph (70 mph), it added. (PTI Photo)
Evacuation Measures: Parts of southern India’s east coastal regions are expected to be pelted with more than 200 mm (8 inches) of rain over the next 24 hours. Thousands of people have been evacuated in anticipation of the cyclone. (PTI Photo)
Fatalities Reported: A 4-year-old boy died in Tirupati district after a wall fell, according to C. Nagaraju, executive director of the state’s disaster management authority. Eight people were killed in neighbouring Tamil Nadu state, reported Reuters. (PTI Photo)
Chennai Airport Shutdown: In Tamil Nadu’s capital Chennai, a major electronics and manufacturing hub, floodwaters swept away cars and submerged a runway. This triggered the shutdown of one of India’s busiest airports until Tuesday morning. (PTI Photo)
Airport Operations Resume: The rains have stopped and water has receded at Chennai airport. The airfield was operational from 9 a.m. local time, a spokesperson for the federal civil aviation ministry said. (PTI Photo)
Infrastructure Damage: The rains and winds also snapped power lines and uprooted trees. More than 140 trains and 40 flights were cancelled in Andhra Pradesh due to the adverse weather conditions. (PTI Photo)
Production Halted: Taiwan’s Foxconn and Pegatron halted Apple iPhone production at their facilities near Chennai due to heavy rains. Automobile company Hyundai is among the companies that have suspended their manufacturing operations in Tamil Nadu due to cyclonic conditions. (PTI Photo)
Hyundai Operations Suspended: A Hyundai Motor India spokesperson said, "Considering the safety and well-being of our employees under the prevailing cyclonic conditions in Chennai and surrounding districts, the factory operation (all shifts) at Hyundai Motor India Sriperumbudur facility has been suspended for today (December 4, 2023).” (PTI Photo)
Evacuation Efforts: As per a PTI report, about 9,450 people were evacuated to safety as severe cyclonic storm Michaung is expected to make landfall close to Bapatla on the south Andhra Pradesh coast within the next four hours. The weather system over the west-central Bay of Bengal, running along and off the south Andhra Pradesh coast, is likely to move nearly northwards, parallel and close to the south Andhra Pradesh coast, Met Department said. (PTI Photo)