WEB DESK
The cyclone Gaja over the South West Bay of Bengal has intensified into a severe cyclonic storm as observed in the morning. It is gathering speed and is fast approaching the Tamil Nadu coast around Nagapattinam, where it is set to cross the shores this evening or night.
The cyclonic storm will make a landfall between Cuddalore and Pamban on Thursday evening bringing heavy rainfall to Tamil Nadu. Over 30,000 rescue personnel are kept on standby by the state government and all educational institutions in Puducherry and Karaikal regions will remain closed today.
While the Cyclone Gaja makes a landfall, the wind speed is expected to be about 80 to 90 km, gusting to 100 km an hour. Rainfall at most places in the state and Puducherry is expected with the possibility of isolated heavy rainfall. A few places in Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Pudukkottai, Tuticorin and Ramanathapuram districts may experience extremely heavy rain.
As cyclone Gaja fast approaches the shores, the state government has asked the telecom operators to keep sufficient stock of diesel to run their transmission towers in case of power shutdown to ensure unhindered communication services.
Hospitals and other vital installations have been asked to keep power generators at sufficient elevation so that they could avoid inundation and keep lifesaving devices running. Educational institutions remain closed in six vulnerable districts today, and examinations have been rescheduled.
Fishermen in susceptible regions living in huts close to the shores and other people in low lying areas have been evacuated to safety. MET officials say, in about an hour, the full cyclonic storm would cross the shores in a weakened form and reach the Arabian Sea in a day’s time.