Cyclone Nivar may not be as severe as Gaja, all arrangements in place: Tamil Nadu Minister Udhayakumar

Udhayakumar said to face any eventuality and to help the people who might be affected by heavy rain, 6 teams of NDRF have left for Cuddalore.
Tamil Nadu Revenue and IT Minister RB Udhayakumar. (photo| Facebook/ @R.B.Udhayakumar)
Tamil Nadu Revenue and IT Minister RB Udhayakumar. (photo| Facebook/ @R.B.Udhayakumar)

CHENNAI: Pointing out that cyclone Nivar may not be as severe as cyclone Gaja which hit Tamil Nadu during the northeast monsoon in 2018, Revenue Minister RB Udhayakumar today said all arrangements are in place to face cyclone Nivar while special attention would be paid to those who would be given shelter in relief camps for preventing the spread of coronavirus.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami has convened a high-level meeting at the secretariat to discuss the precautionary measures being taken to face cyclone Nivar. Ministers and Secretaries from the departments Revenue, Health, PWD, Electricity and other key departments will be taking part in this meeting.   

Addressing a press conference at the Tamil Nadu Disaster Management Authority office here, the Minister said the low pressure area over Bay of Bengal has become a well marked one at around 2.30 a.m., this morning and according to the Meteorological department advisory, this would further intensify. 

As of now, the low pressure is 740 km away from Tamil Nadu and when it lands, the wind speed would be ranging from 80 to 100 kmph.

Udhayakumar said to face any eventuality and to help the people who might be affected by heavy rains, six teams of the National Disaster Response Force have left for Cuddalore district. All district Collectors have been advised to take precautionary steps to face heavy rains and windfall. All big lakes and reservoirs are under constant vigil to check their storage level.  

The Minister appealed to those living in low lying areas to come to the relief camps immediately and the Revenue and Disaster Management Department would be giving updates regarding the cyclone Nivar to the people on a regular basis.

Udhayakumar also advised the parents not to send their children to watercourses like rivers and lakes, dams etc., since no one could escape the thunder and lightning when they remain in open space. He said people in the areas where heavy rains are expected should buy matchboxes, kerosene, torch lights, bread and fruits in advance so that they can avoid going out during heavy rains.

The met department has predicted 'extremely very heavy rainfall' on Tuesday (Nov 24) for these districts in the Cauvery delta region - Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Pudukottai, Cuddalore, Ariyalur, Perambalur districts  and Karaikal area. On the same day, 'heavy to very heavy rain' is predicted for most of the northern region, including Chennai, Puducherry and for Sivagangai and Ramanathapuram districts in the South.

For Wednesday, 'extremely very heavy rain' is likely to occur at isolated places over Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Cuddalore, Kallakurichi, Villupuram, Tiruvannamalai, Chengalpattu, Ariyalur, Perambalur districts and Puducherry & Karaikal area. For other northern districts, including Chennai and Vellore, the met department has predicted 'heavy to very heavy rain'.

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