PUDUCHERRY/CHENNAI: With the cyclone just hours away from making a landfall on Wednesday, 30 teams of the National Disaster Response Force were pressed into action across Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Andhra Pradesh to deal with eventualities. Following a request from the UT administration, a 100- personnel team of the Integrated Defence Staff was also sent from Chennai.
About 50 km to the north and south of Puducherry may be affected during the landfall, and hence expert assistance has been sought, said officials. Ten helicopters are on standby, and will be deployed as and when required, said collector Purva Garg.
There were 10 boats carrying 60 fishermen from Karaikal still at sea on Wednesday evening. Officials said that they had established contact with them, and are on their way to the Karaikal coast. In case of difficulty they have been advised to reach Nagapattinam, Jagadipattinam or other places. So far, 90 boats carrying over 500 fishermen have been brought back to shores.
“Each and every boat has been accounted and there is none missing in the sea,” said officials. Meanwhile, in Chennai, at least five rain-related deaths and 10 accidents were reported. In Cuddalore, close to 50,000 people have been moved from vulnerable areas to over 233 relief camps in the district.
The Cuddalore port has raised the danger level of the storm to 10 on a scale of 11. Several villages in the district plunged into darkness on Wednesday evening as officials disconnected power as a precautionary measure.
600 fishermen moved to relief camps in UT
Puducherry: Around 600 fishermen and their families were moved to relief camps after the rough sea waves, about five to six feet high, lashed the coast. Over 75 boats were lifted using cranes and moved to safe places.