Cyclone Vardah kills 6 people in Tamil Nadu, heads towards Karnataka

Over 15 teams of National Disaster Response Force have been deployed in various coastal regions.

Cyclonic storm Vardah made landfall in Chennai coast at around 14.50 pm IST with wind speed of 110-120 kmph on Monday noon.

Tamil Nadu government says six people have died due to the cyclone.The worst is over for the state as the cyclone moves towards Karnataka.

Over 15 teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in various coastal regions of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh for relief and rescue operations.

The Tamil Nadu government for its part has advised people not to leave their homes until 4 pm. So far, 7357 people are evacuated to 54 relief centres in Tamil Nadu and over 9,400 people have also been evacuated from along the Bay of Bengal coast in SPS Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh.

“We have already moved 9,400 persons in seven vulnerable mandals to safety. All necessary measures have been taken to ensure safety of people,” Deccan Chronicle quoted Muncipal Administration Minister P Narayana.

Earlier, according to Met officials, Cyclone Vardah – which means red rose- has gained in speed and intensity on its journey across the Bay of Bengal, belying predictions it would weaken considerably.

Suburban rail services in Chennai were also hit by rains and suspended till further notice.

“In case of heavy rainfall in low lying areas, we will evacuate immediately. As trees may uproot due to high wind speed, we have tree-cutting equipment to tackle it. We will take immediate action,” NDRF Assistant Commandant Senthil Kumar said.

NDRF DIG S.P Selvam said the personnel are conducting recce of the areas and familiarising themselves with the help of local guides.

“There is a lot of change in preparedness compared to previous years. The state agencies had a meeting yesterday. The chief secretary of Tamil Nadu government held a meeting. High-level meeting were held by the government of Andhra Pradesh also, which our officers attended,” he said.

(This post has been revised and updated, with the number of dead revised to 6 from 2)