In Srinivasapuram, the cyclone turned the boats into “road-runners”

Around the point where Srinivasapuram nuzzles its nose against the Marina Loop Road, one gets a sens

Around the point where Srinivasapuram nuzzles its nose against the Marina Loop Road, one gets a sense of the sea and the shoreline doglegging into the landscape. Cyclone Mandous made them more of an “intruder”. It had turned the sea into an avaricious land-grabber, and the latter was freely claiming swathes of land, leaving behind huge puddles, much like a conquering force stationing an army among the conquered. At this intersecting point, a huge body of water had formed, with some boats — peeled away from their mooring space, their anchors uprooted — had their starboards resting on the fringes. It was as if a miniature of the sea along with sea-based activities had been placed on display. In Srinivasapuram, the cyclone has cugged the boats on to the road or closer to it. Cottoning on to the cyclone’s intentions, a couple of fishermen placed their boats on Marina Loop Road, resting them carefully with discarded packing material serving as cushions.

E Mahendran and R Tamilarasu were among the unfortunate ones who found out their nets had been gobbled up by the ravaging sea. The two did what they could immediately do: Pour out their misery to the nearby E5 (Foreshore Estate) police personnel, who reportedly were on the scene till the wee hours of the morning. The D5 (Marina) police personnel were also on their toes, shooing away those who had gathered for cyclone tourism. A certain patch of the service road at the Marina beach had been occupied by the advancing waters. A police personnel stationed around the blocks placed to prevent entry to the service road disclosed: “People are trying to swim in the waters that have collected here.”