Alert issued, Marks of catastrophe, death of five, fear of becoming low pressure area

Northern Times News : After the cyclone 'Nivar' hit the coast of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on Wednesday night, it rained heavily in the two states as well as the neighboring state of Andhra Pradesh in the early hours of Thursday.  Winds at 130 to 145 km per hour and torrential rains created flood-like conditions, uprooted trees, disrupted power supply and internet service and disrupted life.

Five dead and three injured

 Five people died and three people were injured in storm-related accidents.  Although the storm has weakened now.  To tackle the situation, 25 teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are deployed in the coastal areas of the three states.  Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to the Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry over phone and assured of all possible help from the Center.  He said that the Center is closely monitoring the situation in both the states.

101 houses damaged in Tamil Nadu

 According to the Tamil Nadu government, 101 houses in the state were damaged, 1,086 trees uprooted and 14 acres of banana crop wasted due to the containment.  Apart from this, 26 animals have died.  Officials say all fallen trees have been removed and work is on to restore power supply.  Bus services that were stopped on Tuesday before the cyclone were restored on Thursday in seven districts of the state.

Air, metro and suburban rail services restored

 In addition, aircraft, metro and suburban train services were also restored.  Chief Minister  Palaniswamy commended Greater Chennai Corporation and Greater Chennai Police for removing fallen trees and assisting the needy.  He reviewed the damage caused by the cyclone in Cuddalore and some other areas and also met the affected people.  Around 2.27 lakh people have been placed in 3,085 relief camps in the state.

Assessment of loss assessment

 Chief Minister of the Union Territory of Puducherry, V. Narayanasamy said that power supply is being restored in the state in a phased manner.  The damage caused by the cyclone is being assessed.  He visited the affected areas and requested people to stay indoors and not let the fishermen to go to sea.  The Puducherry government announced a public holiday on Thursday.

Andhra Pradesh also affected

 Half of Andhra Pradesh has also been affected by the cyclone and there was heavy to very heavy rainfall, which derailed normal life.  According to the State Disaster Management Authority, SPS Nellore, Chittoor, Kadapa, Krishna, Prakasam and East Godavari districts received heavy to very heavy rainfall while Anantapuram, Kurnool, Guntur and West Godavari districts received moderate to heavy rainfall.

Instructions to stay on high alert

 In SPS Nellore, Chittoor and Kadapa districts, the reservoirs were flooded and their excess water had to be released leading to flooding of roads and fields at many places.  Traffic was disrupted due to flooding of roads and felling of trees.  Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy reviewed the situation on Thursday afternoon and ordered the district collectors to be on high alert.

 Weakened prevention

 According to the Meteorological Department, the epicenter of the 'Nirvana' cyclone was 50 km west-southwest of Tirupati on Thursday afternoon.  It crossed the beach near Puducherry between 11.30 am and 2.30 pm on Wednesday night.  It has now weakened and is moving northwest.  It will continuously get weaker.

 New low pressure area is being created

 Director General of the department Mrityunjay Mohapatra said that there is a possibility of heavy rains in Tamil Nadu after November 29.  He said that a new low pressure area is likely to form in the Bay of Bengal, but it needs to be seen whether it turns into a cyclone or not.  The department is closely monitoring this.  The low pressure zone is the first stage of cyclone formation.