Cyclone Ditwah; 3 die in Tamil Nadu, 234 huts damaged: Check IMD alert and latest updates
Three people died in Tamil Nadu in rain-related incidents caused by Cyclone Ditwah. Two people died in Tuticorin and Thanjavur on Sunday due to wall collapses. A 20-year-old man died of electrocution in Mayiladuthurai.
State Minister K. Ramachandran stated that 234 huts/mud houses were damaged in coastal areas. In addition, 149 animals were killed. Approximately 57,000 hectares of agricultural land has been submerged.
Heavy rains and strong winds lashed parts of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on Sunday as the cyclonic storm ‘Ditwah’ over the Bay of Bengal inched closer towards the eastern coastal regions of India.
Alert for heavy rains and strong winds
After wreaking havoc in Sri Lanka, Cyclone Ditwah will hit the coasts of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on Sunday evening. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an alert for heavy rains accompanied by strong winds in several areas, including Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Villupuram, and Chengalpattu.
A red alert was declared for parts of Tamil Nadu as the IMD predicted extremely heavy rainfall in parts of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Puducherry.
“Heavy to Very Heavy Rainfall with isolated Extremely Heavy Rainfall very likely at isolated places over Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu Puducherry & Karaikal,” the weather department said in a rainfall warning.
It further forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall over isolated places in Rayalseema, and heavy rainfall over isolated places in Kerala & Mahe and Telangana.
Disaster response teams deployed
More than 28 disaster response teams, including the NDRF and SDRF, have been deployed. In addition, 10 teams from NDRF bases in Maharashtra and Gujarat have arrived in Chennai. Heavy rains in Tamil Nadu led to the cancellation of 54 flights on Saturday. Puducherry Central University has declared a holiday and postponed all examinations due to the cyclone.
In Puducherry, two NDRF teams were deployed to deal with the cyclone. The Central University has declared a holiday and postponed all examinations. All schools and colleges in Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe, and Yanam will remain closed until Monday.
In Andhra Pradesh, heavy rains are expected in parts of Andhra Pradesh until December 3.