The cyclonic storm Gaja intensified into a severe storm on Tuesday, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue a red alert for Tamil Nadu and the Puducherry coast.
The storm system is expected to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm in the next 24 hours and will continue to maintain its intensity during the subsequent 24 hours, as per IMD’s latest bulletin. The weather department has predicted that sea conditions over southwest and adjoining West central and Southeast Bay of Bengal are likely to become “very high” on Tuesday.
"The waves were likely to rise to about one metre and inundate low-lying areas of Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Pudukkottai and Ramanathapuram districts of Tamil Nadu and Karaikal at the time of landfall," the bulletin added.
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Chief Minister V Narayanasamy chaired a review meeting with officials of various departments to ascertain the preparedness.
He said two teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have arrived here and they would be positioned here and Karaikal near Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu.
Narayanasamy said he had directed all the departments to deploy man power adequately and also keep ready equipment needed to pump out water from low lying areas as rainfall was
expected to be intense in Puducherry and Karaikal under the impact of the cyclone. Relief centres would also be operating, he said adding the weather report made available to the government showed the cyclone would bring in its wake heavy rains in Puducherry and Karaikal regions.
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He said fishermen were asked not to venture into the sea. Revenue Minister M O H F Shah Jahan, Education Minister R Kamalakannan and District Collector Vijay Abhijit Choudhury were among those who attended the review meeting.
Heavy rainfall is expected to hit north coastal Tamil Nadu from the evening of November 14 and is likely to continue till November 16. South Tamil Nadu will also experience heavy rainfall on November 15, and isolated areas to experience rainfall on November 16. Heavy rainfall is also expected in the south coastal region of Andhra Pradesh during the course of three days, from November 14 evening to November 16. Kerala will also receive rainfall on November 15 and 16, the Indian Meteorological Department has said.
In the wake of the cyclonic situation, a red alert has been issued for the administration in parts of Tamil Nadu to keep the government authorities ready to mobilise resources to meet any eventuality.
PTI
