Cyclone Vardah makes landfall in Tamil Nadu, large areas inundated, trees uprooted
Indian Navy, Air Force and National Disaster Response Force have been kept on standby under a red alert call, while more than 7,000 people in Tamil Nadu and 9,000 in Andhra Pradesh were evacuated.
The Met office said after the landfall, there will be a brief lull, which will be followed by an intensified cyclone and heavy to very heavy rain in North Tamil Nadu and South Andhra Pradesh.
The calamity is expected to be over in the next four hours.
According to reports, under the impact of the cyclonic storm, downpour inundated streets and felled several streets in Chennai.
Two naval ships — Shivalik and Kadmatt — are already in North of the area with food, doctors and medicine to provide immediate assistance.
All educational institutes in Chennai, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur, besides coastal areas of Villupuram have been closed. The Tamil Nadu Government has also asked private offices to allow their staff to take a day off or work from home.
All the flights from Chennai have been suspended till 3 pm. .
Earlier, the Met office had said," The system is very likely to move nearly west-southwestwards and weaken gradually from today evening onwards while moving towards north Tamilnadu and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coast. It is very likely to cross north Tamilnadu and south Andhra Pradesh coast, close to Chennai as a cyclonic storm by 12th December 2016 afternoon," IMD said in a statement.
Fishermen have been advised not to venture into sea along and off south Andhra Pradesh, north Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts.
The IMD said: " Squally winds speed reaching 40-50 kmph gusting to 60 kmph would prevail along and off Andhra Pradesh and adjoining north Tamil Nadu coasts commencing from 11th December night. It will gradually increase becoming 80-90 kmph gusting to 100 kmph during the time of landfall along and off Chennai, Thiruvallur and Kanchipuram districts of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Nellore and Prakasam districts of Andhra Pradesh."
Support Our Journalism
We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism
IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.
Support objective journalism for a small contribution.
