As the Cyclone ‘Gaja’ crosses over the Bay of Bengal at about 470 km south east from Chennai, it is set to cause landfall between Cuddalore and Pamban today evening. And it will also be bring heavy rainfall to Tamil Nadu.
According the Met office, the cyclone storm ‘Gaja’ that lay over southwest and adjoining southeast and west central Bay of Bengal is about 550 km north east of Nagapattinam and is very likely to cross coast between Pamban and Cuddalore on Thursday evening or night with a wind speed gusting upto 100 kmph.
taking into account of the upcoming natural calamity, the Tamil Nadu government has already declared that 30,500 rescue personnel were on standby, the district collectors of Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Pudukottai, Nagapattinam, Cuddalore, Puducherry, Ramanathapuram and Karaikal have declared holiday for schools and colleges on Thursday.
Tamil Nadu Revenue Minister RB Udayakumar told reporters that dams, lakes and rivers channels were being monitored continuously.
The Central Water Commission (CWC) had advised action as per the Standard Operating Procedure as heavy rainfall in catchment areas could fill up the dams fast, almost in less than 24 hours.
The Minister also said that mobile operators have assured to move ‘Cell on Wheels,’ mobile platforms to provide uninterrupted mobile connectivity to Nagapattinam and Cuddalore districts, as these two places are likely to witness the cyclone impact during landfall.
Taking note of the situation, the government had held discussions with oil marketing companies and they have been advised to maintain sufficient fuel stock, he said.
Mr Udayakumar said a comprehensive list of do’s and don’ts have been circulated to the people regarding cyclone Gaja. He also reiterated caution to fishermen to not venture into the sea.
While underlinig caution he added that the red column in the Met bulletins only indicate that steps to mitigate possible disaster should be taken by the government which has already been done and people should not panic.
The Met office has also warned that storm might surge to about 1.0 metres, likely to inundate low-lying areas of Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Pudukkottai and Ramanathapuram districts of Tamil Nadu and Karaikal district of Puducherry at the time of landfall.
The IMD has cautioned that major damage might be caused to thatched huts. It further added that’roof tops may blow off’, communication and power lines may be affected and standing crops could also be hit besides water intrusion in low lying areas.
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