Cyclone Nivar: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palaniswami appealed to people to stay indoors as far as possible
Chennai: Cyclone Nivar, which has weakened from a "very severe cyclonic storm" to a "severe cyclonic storm", made landfall near the costal town of Marakkanam in Tamil Nadu, 30 km north of Puducherry at around 2:30 am. More than two lakh people have been evacuated to safety in the coastal states that had been bracing for the cyclone - the fifth-strongest category on India's scale of seven storm types. While the damage assessment is on, the state governments say they have been working on "war-footing" amid heavy rainfall and flooding in many parts.
Here are 10 developments in this big story:
Puducherry saw an unprecedented rainfall of 20 cm in the last 20 hours, Chief Minister V Narayanasamy said, adding that the state is still reviewing damages. "Puducherry has been waterlogged, and lots of trees have fallen," he said this morning. There is power disruption in many parts of the union territory and Cuddalore town of Tamil Nadu after the power supply was cut during the landfall accompanied by strong winds.
The tropical storm, which originated in Bay of Bengal, forced authorities in the southern states to declare a public holiday till Thursday, close the Chennai airport and metro services. The cyclone "has completely moved to the land, and "it has weakened into a severe cyclonic storm; it would further weaken into a cyclonic storm in the next six hours. Heavy rain would continue," Dr S Balachandran, Director at Chennai's Meteorological Department, said.
Puducherry and coastal districts of Tamil Nadu including Cuddalore and Nagapattinam, continue to receive rain and experience heavy winds. More than two lakh people were moved to cyclone shelters in the two states on Wednesday. In Cuddalore, one of the districts where damage was likely, over 50,000 were moved to safety to 233 government shelters, Collector Chandra Sekhar said.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palaniswami appealed to people to stay indoors as far as possible and said over 4,000 "vulnerable" locations had been identified and local officials have been told to ensure peoples' safety. This morning, Disaster Management Minister RB Udhaya Kumar said: "We are waiting for details on damages. The Chief Minister would announce them along with relief and compensation."
Around 1,200 National Disaster Response Force personnel have been stationed in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and neighbouring Andhra Pradesh as well, NDRF chief SN Pradhan told PTI. Twelve teams are in Tamil Nadu (six in Cuddalore district and two in Chennai), seven in Andhra Pradesh and three in Puducherry. An additional 20 teams will be on standby in Odisha's Cuttack, Vijaywada in Andhra Pradesh and Thrissur in Kerala.
Government officials in Chennai released water from a major reservoir and cleared fallen trees. Vessels in the city's port have been moved to sea and port operations will likely remain shut until the cyclone has passed, a senior port official said. With memories of the 2015 floods still fresh, Tamil Nadu is also monitoring four other reservoirs in anticipation of a rapid rise in water levels.
The Indian Navy has said yesterday it was closely monitoring the movement of Nivar, and was in constant touch with officials of both Tamil Nadu and Puducherry governments. Naval ships, aircraft and rescue and diving teams have been kept on standby.
An alert was sounded at the Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS) in Tamil Nadu's Kalpakkam, which is around 20 km from Mamallapuram. Authorities were closely monitoring the weather to take action as required, officials told news agency PTI.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted earlier on Tuesday, "Spoke to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Shri Edappadi K Palaniswami and Puducherry Chief Minister Shri V Narayanasamy regarding the situation in the wake of Cyclone Nivar. Assured all possible support from the Centre. I pray for the safety and well-being of those living in the affected areas."
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy had also sounded an alert. The state is expected to receive heavy rainfall as Nivar moves inland. Nellore and Chittoor districts are on alert, as are parts of Kadapa, Kurnool and Anantpur, with between 11 and 20 cm of rain and wind speeds of up to 75 km per hour expected. Fishermen have been advised not to go out to sea and low-lying areas have been warned of flooding.
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