Public holiday in TN, Section 144 imposed in Puducherry as cyclone likely to hit areas soon
After the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted that cyclone Nivar may cross Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coasts Karaikal and Mamallapuram as a very severe cyclonic storm in the late evening on November 25, public holiday has been declared in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday while authorities in Puducherry clamped prohibitory orders (section 144) till Thursday 6 am.
According to IMD’s director general Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Nivar is likely to make landfall between 8 pm and 12am. The wind will blow at 120-130 km per hour with gusting up to 145 kph.
The cyclonic storm is centred about 380 km east-southeast of Puducherry and 430 km southeast of Chennai. There was heavy rain overnight in several coastal districts of Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, and Puducherry.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday spoke to the Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry and assured them of all possible support from the Centre.
“Assured all possible support from the Centre. I pray for the safety and well-being of those living in the affected areas,” he tweeted.
Several trains have been cancelled in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in the wake cyclonic storm.
The Tamil Nadu Government has declared a public holiday on Wednesday. Heavy rain in Chennai and several other districts led to water logging. Southern Railways cancelled a few train services and inter and intra bus-services, including those of private buses, have been suspended in seven districts.
People in low-lying and flood-prone areas have been asked to move to safer places and district authorities are shifting them to relief camps with food and necessary medical aids.
Chief Minister Palaniswami has urged people to avoid going out for the next three days. Authorities have warned of damage to thatched roofs, kuchcha roads, water logging, suspension of electricity and uprooting of trees due to the severe cyclone. The last cyclone to make a landfall in Tamil Nadu was Gaja (very severe cyclonic storm) during the north east monsoon in mid-November 2018.
Authorities in Puducherry clamped prohibitory orders and said only milk shops, petrol stations and pharmacies will be allowed to operate.
Puducherry’s district magistrate Purva Garg ordered the imposition of Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code from 9pm on Tuesday till 6am on Thursday in the entire Puducherry region.
The Indian Navy has deployed five flood relief teams, a diving team, INS Parundu, INS Jyoti from Vishakapatnam with HADR bricks and diving teams to render assistance. The Indian Coast Guard and National Disaster Response Force are on full alert.
According to the NDRF, 22 teams (12 teams in Tamil Nadu, 3 teams in Puducherry and 7 teams in Andhra Pradesh) have been pre-positioned at likely affected areas. Teams have been kept reserve at Guntur (AP), Thrissur (Kerala) and Mundli (Odisha) to meet additional requirement. NDRF has deployed around 1,200 rescue troopers in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry, and 800 others are on standby.
The IMD has forecast widespread rainfall and thunderstorms over coastal and north interior Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal on November 24 and November 26, over south coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema on November 25 and 26 and southeast Telangana on November 26 in the wake of cyclone Nivar. The cyclone is likely to move northwestwards and pass the Karaikal-Mamallapuram coast around noon on Wednesday. Villupuram, Cuddalore, Puducherry and Chennai are expected to be among the worst hit regions. According to the cyclone live tracker, Nivar has been stagnant for the past three hours. Earlier, it was moving at a speed of 5 km per hour.
The IMD has warned of damage to thatched houses in Tiruvarur, Kancheepuram, Chennai and Thiruvallur districts of Tamil Nadu. According to the IMD, there is a possibility of roof tops being blown off and unattached metal sheets flying on Wednesday.
The IMD has warned that power and communication lines and kutcha and pucca roads may get damaged, with flooding of escape routes likely to occur. Further, there will be uprooting of trees and breaking off of tree branches and damage to papaya and banana trees, horticulture and crops. The IMD has also warned of damage to salt pans and major damage to coastal crops.
