Gusty winds and rains lashed parts of Tamil Nadu today leaving several areas inundated and authorities have housed over one lakh people in shelters as severe cyclone "Nivar" hurtled towards the coast. Nivar would intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm and it is likely to cross the coast between Tamil Nadu and Puducherry soon, the India Meteorological Department said.
With rains drenching parts of the state, authorities have evacuated over one lakh people and housed them in shelters besides disconnecting power supply in vulnerable areas as a precautionary measure.
While Chief Minister K Palaniswami declared Thursday a public holiday for 13 districts, a government order included three more districts considering the safety of people in view of the cyclone.
The Puducherry Chief Minister spoke to NDTV on Tuesday and said large gatherings had been banned and public movement prohibited from 9 PM to 6 AM Thursday. He also said non-essential shops and services had been shut; only milk booths, fuel stations, hospitals and pharmacies, and government offices will be allowed to open.
The National Disaster Response Force has earmarked a total of 50 teams -- with 30 being deployed on the ground in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Andhra Pradesh -- in view of the cyclone moving ahead from the Bay of Bengal towards the coastal areas. Twenty teams have been kept on standby at Vijaywada (Andhra Pradesh), Cuttack (Odisha) and Thrissur (Kerala).