GET READY TO RIDE THE NIVAR STORM

GET READY TO RIDE THE NIVAR STORM

Public Holiday Today; Bus, Train Services Suspended; 50 NDRF Teams Deployed

Team TOI

Chennai:25.11.2020

As cyclone Nivar hurtling towards the Tamil Nadu coast on Tuesday is likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm in the next 12 hours and is likely to make landfall between Karaikal and Mamallapuram on Wednesday evening with wind speed of 110-120kmph gusting to 145kmph, the state government has put in place measures to evacuate people from inundated areas, declared a public holiday on Wednesday and temporarily halted train and bus services.

Cyclone Nivar (named by Iran), which means light in Persian, is likely to be stronger than Vardah that made landfall closer to Chennai in December 2016.

“People living in regions vulnerable to the storm and in houses deemed unsafe should be immediately shifted to relief centres,” chief minister Edappadi Palaniswami told officials on Tuesday.

“All government offices including offices of local bodies, government undertakings/corporations, boards, banks, financial institutions etc will be closed on Wednesday. However, all essential services shall function as usual,” chief secretary K Shanmugam said in an order.

IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall in Chennai, Chengalpet, Tiruvallur, Kanchipuram, Ranipet, Vellore, Tirupathur, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Salem, Erode, Namakkal, Trichy, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam and Karaikal. Extremely heavy rainfall is likely over districts closer to the landfall location like Thiruvannamalai, Villupuram, Kallakurichi, Cuddalore, Mayiladuthurai, Ariyalur and Perumbalur.

Warning signals have been hoisted across 11 ports in the state.

All the major reservoirs in the state have been getting steady inflow, and 1,519 irrigation tanks maintained by the PWD have reached their full capacity by Tuesday.

“The storage of Chembarambakkam reservoir is at 21feet as against its full capacity of 24 feet. Orders have been issued to release surplus water when the storage touches 22 feet. Surplus will be released depending on rainfall,” the CM said.

Instructions have been given to collectors to take precautionary measures and give special attention to 4,133 vulnerable locations that could possibly be inundated. At least 4,713 relief centres were identified in Tamil Nadu, and 254 people had been accommodated in nine centres in districts like Cuddalore, Vridhachalam, Chidambaram and Ariyalur so far. Instructions had been given to provide adequate food, drinking water, mat, blankets and milk to children, Palaniswami said.

The CM said administration was ready to remove uprooted trees and rescue people from affected areas with the help of multi-disciplinary teams. There are 43,409 first responders to rescue people, including 14,232 women responders.

Nearly 8,871 responders are ready to rescue cattle and 9,909 responders enrolled to remove uprooted trees..

The state has positioned 5,505 policemen trained by the NDRF and the SDRF across the state. There are 691 home guards and 4,699 fire and rescue services personnel trained for disaster management. Mock drills had taken place in 3,094 educational institutions, 2,561 industries and in areas where the public gathered in large numbers.

Most of the fishermen from Nagapattinam, who ventured into the sea in 540 mechanised boats, before the cyclone alert, have returned to the shore.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the chief ministers of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry and assured all support. “I pray for the safety and well-being of those living in the affected areas,” Modi tweeted later.

Wind speed may be 100kmph in city

According to IMD, the cyclone over southwest Bay of Bengal moved westwards at a speed of 5kmph during past six hours and lay centred at 5.30pm about 320 km east-southeast of Cuddalore, about 350 km southeast of Puducherry and 410 km east southeast of Chennai. When the cyclone makes landfall, wind speed will be at 110-120kmph gusting to 145kmph in Nagapattinam, Karaikal, Mayiladuthurai, Cuddalore, Puducherry, Villupuram and Chengalpet while it will be 80kmph-90kmph gusting to 100kmph in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kanchipuram and Tiruvarur districts. With the system moving slow, weather blogger Pradeep John said, “There are chances of the cyclone making landfall on Wednesday night or early Thursday morning.”

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