Nov 15, 2018
The severe cyclonic storm Gaja in the Bay of Bengal is moving towards Tamil Nadu coast.It is expected to make a landfall between Thursday night and Friday morning, around Pamban, Cuddalore and Nagapattinam, as said by the Meteorology Department in Chennai.Severe cyclone Gaja is currently located 150 km East North East of Nagapattinam. It is moving at a speed of 21 km an hour and is set to weaken into a cyclone at the time of its landfall.
While the Cyclone Gaja makes a landfall, the wind speed is expected to be about 80 to 90 km, gusting to 100 km an hour.
Rainfall at most places in the state and Puducherry is expected, with the possibility of isolated heavy rainfall. A few places in Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Pudukkottai, Tuticorin and Ramanathapuram districts may experience extremely heavy rain, as said by the MET Department.
The state administration has asked people not to go near the sea shores, and the Coastal Security Group personnel of the state police have virtually cordoned off the coasts in the vulnerable areas.
The electricity department has said, it has kept ready enough number of electric poles to replace fallen poles if any and restore power connection.
Local bodies and revenue department officials are equipped with electric see-saw’s to remove fallen trees, high horse-power electric pumps for evacuating flood waters and inflated boats for rescue operations.
The health centres in the districts have also been further strengthened to meet emerging challenges.
In some parts of the seven identified districts that are on the path of the cyclone, light to moderate rain has started from this evening.
In Cuddalore, Ramanathapuram and Puducherry, educational institutions have been declared holiday for tomorrow as well. Private organizations have been asked by the State Disaster Management Authority to permit their staff to return to their homes early in view of the cyclone.
The National Disaster Response Force teams along with their state counterparts are camping in identified locations for rescue and relief operations. The Indian Navy has stationed two of its warships on standby to help the authorities in rescue missions.
Fishermen have moved their boats to safety, as said by the state fisheries department. 2571 people have so far been evacuated from low-lying areas to special camps.
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Courtesy