Chennai: Gusty winds and rains lashed Wednesday parts of Tamil Nadu leaving several areas inundated. Authorities have housed over one lakh people in shelters as severe cyclone ‘Nivar’ hurtled towards the coast. The severe cyclone ‘Nivar’ would intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm and it is likely to cross the coast between Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry before dawn Thursday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
With rains drenching parts of the state, authorities have disconnected power supply in vulnerable areas as a precautionary measure.
Chief Minister K Palaniswami has declared Thursday a public holiday for 13 districts. A government order later in the day included three more districts considering the safety of people in view of the cyclone.
Revenue Minister RB Udhayakumar said 1,03,291 people including children have been housed in 1,000 relief centres. Food, water and all other essentials including masks to help prevent coronavirus have been made available to them in the relief centres, he said. A senior official said subsequently, the number has increased to 1,21,152.
According to the government, these people have been housed in shelters at Ariyalur, Chengelpet, Chennai, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Perambalur, Ranipet, Thanjavur, Tiruvannamalai, Tiruvarur, and Villupuram districts.
Civic authorities meanwhile removed banners and hoardings in several districts including Chennai and Vellore expecting squally winds. Police personnel placed barricades in arterial roads and important intersections in coastal districts to bar movement of vehicles. The government appealed to the people to stay indoors.
Chennai airport authorities said aircraft operations will remain suspended from 7.00pm of November 25 till 7.00am of November 26. The decision was taken considering the safety aspect of passengers and the severity of the approaching cyclone, they said.
The Chennai Metro Rail, which operated minimum services, said operations would end by 8.00pm and services would resume Thursday depending on the weather.
In its latest bulletin, the IMD said ‘Nivar’ would cross over between Karaikal and Mamallapuram ‘during the midnight of November 25 and early hours of 26 November’.
The storm, 250km off Chennai and 190km and 180km from Pondicherry and Cuddalore respectively, is very likely to move northwestwards and cross coasts as a ‘very severe cyclonic storm with a wind speed of 120-130 kmph gusting to 145 kmph’.
Under the influence of the cyclone, coastal and north interior Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry and Kariakal regions are likely to receive rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy showers at a few places and extremely heavy rains at isolated places. South coastal Andhra Pradesh is also likely to witness showers at most places today. Rainfall is expected to continue in many places in these regions on Thursday too with heavy rainfall at some places.