Cyclone Gaja crossed Nagapattinam at 12.30 am on Friday and weakened around 8 am as it moved over land.Nine teams of the National Disaster Response Force are in Tamil Nadu and two in Puducherry since Wednesday.
CHENNAI: The Severe cyclonic storm ‘Gaja’, which crossed Tamil Nadu’s coast early on Friday, has claimed 25 lives.’Gaja’ crossed the coast between Nagapattinam and nearby Vedaranyam, bringing with it heavy rain, and causing severe damage to communication and power infrastructure, mainly in Nagapattinam district.
Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Friday announced a grant of ₹10 lakh each for the families of those who lost their lives, ₹1 lakh for the severely injured and ₹25,000 for those with minor injuries.
The Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority has been receiving praise for its preparedness from all quarters.
India Met Department (IMD) said cyclonic circulation over Malay peninsula and equatorial Indian Ocean may set up a fresh ‘low’ central parts of South Bay of Bengal by Sunday.
Gaja not only retained its severe cyclone status, but also delayed its landfall to between 0030 am and 2.30 am to early this morning featuring high winds of 100- to 110 km/h gusting to 120 km/h.During Cyclone Gaja’s landfall, heavy rain lashed Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, and Thanjavur, uprooting trees in several regions.
Over 80,000 people were evacuated from low-lying areas as severe cyclonic storm ‘Gaja’ crossed the coast between Nagapattinam and nearby Vedaranyam early Friday, bringing with it heavy rains in coastal regions.
Fishermen have been advised to not venture into Southwest Bay of Bengal for the next six hours, and the Arabian Sea of the Kerala coast from Friday evening owards as the storm is moving southwest.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh also directed Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba to monitor the situation in Tamil Nadu and provide all help to the state administration.Puducherry Chief Minister V. Narayanaswamy is scheduled to visit the affected areas later in the day.
The district administration has declared holiday for schools and colleges in Madurai, Theni, Virudunagar, Tiruchi, Thoothukudi and Coimbatore districts.
Nagapattinam district, which bore the brunt of the cyclone’s fury had already declared holiday for Friday the previous day itself. Holiday was declared in Thoothukudi district as well.
The Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority has opened district-level helpline 1077 for people to contact in case of emergency. The body’s State helpline 1070 is also in use. Nagapattinam-9443500728, 9843810579, 9003322566.
