When Cyclone Mandous, a tropical cyclone that formed in the Bay of Bengal and made landfall in southern India in December 2022 hit the Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh coasts, it wasn’t just another storm—it was a wake-up call for coastal preparedness. With winds hitting 90 km/h and rainfall totals over 200 mm in some areas, Mandous flooded streets, knocked out power, and forced thousands to evacuate. It didn’t make headlines like some bigger cyclones, but its impact was real, especially for fishing communities and small farmers who lost crops and boats overnight.
What made Cyclone Mandous stand out wasn’t its strength, but where it hit. Unlike cyclones that strike Gujarat or Odisha, Mandous targeted a region less used to direct hits. The Bay of Bengal, a hotspot for cyclone formation due to warm waters and low wind shear had cooked up another one, and this time, the warning systems worked better than before. India’s meteorological department tracked it for days, giving locals time to move to shelters. Still, many didn’t have access to reliable information—especially in remote villages where cell towers went down with the first rain.
The cyclone relief, efforts led by local NGOs, state agencies, and volunteers to deliver food, clean water, and medical aid after the storm became the real story. In places like Nagapattinam and Kakinada, volunteers used motorboats to reach flooded homes. Schools turned into emergency centers. People shared what little they had—rice, bottled water, blankets. The government distributed rations, but it was the neighbors who showed up first, with flashlights and radios, checking on the elderly and kids.
And then, just as quickly as it came, Mandous faded. The rain stopped. The winds dropped. But the damage didn’t disappear. Paddy fields were buried under saltwater. Fishing nets were torn. Houses with tin roofs were gone. For months after, families rebuilt—on their own, with little help. Some moved inland. Others stayed, planting new crops and hoping the next storm would be kinder.
What you’ll find below are real stories from that time: reports from the ground, photos from affected areas, and updates on recovery efforts. Some posts talk about how communities organized. Others show how weather data helped save lives. A few even dig into why this cyclone didn’t get the same attention as others—despite the human cost. These aren’t just news clips. They’re snapshots of resilience.
Cyclone Mandous struck Tamil Nadu on December 9, 2022, dumping 115mm of rain on Chennai and killing four people. Despite early warnings, aging infrastructure led to deadly floods, exposing deep vulnerabilities in coastal urban planning.
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