Chennai, October 31: Cyclone Nilam crossed the Tamil Nadu coast on Wednesday evening between Mamallapuram and Kalpakkam with strong winds battering the area, said an official of the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Speaking to IANS, the official said: “The cyclone started crossing the coast around 4.45 p.m. and it would take around one or two hours to cross the coast.”
According to him, the wind speed was currently at 65 kmph and would touch around 100-110 kmph.
Strong winds earlier made the ship Pratibha Cauvery run aground here.
On the other hand, neighbouring Kalpakkam is known as nuclear island with a couple of test reactors of India Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research and two units of Madras Atomic Power Station.
India’s own 500 MW fast breeder reactor is also being set up at Kalpakkam at an outlay of Rs.5,677 crore.
According to a state government official, around 3,900 people in Mamallapuram have been lodged in 19 relief camps.
Nilam to make landfall near Mamallapuram
The cyclonic storm, Nilam, which lay centred at about 50 km to 60 km south of Chennai, is likely to cross the coast near Mamallapuram on Wednesday evening.
The process of landfall, which is expected to begin from around 5-30 p.m., will go on till 11-30 p.m., Y.E. A. Raj, Deputy Director General of Meteorology, says, quoting radar data. Winds with speed reaching 80 to 90 km per hour will prevail along and off the north coastal parts of the State.
Cyclone Nilam intensified into a severe storm with extremely heavy rainfall expected over north coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry even as the weather department warned of extensive damage to huts, standing crops and power lines. Extremely heavy rainfall of over 25 cm or more is expected over north Coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in the next 24 hours.
Rainfall at most places with isolated heavy to very heavy falls would occur over south coastal Andhra Pradesh, Rayalaseema and north interior Tamil Nadu in the next 48 hours with gale speeds of 90-100 kmph, gusting to 110 kmph along and off north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts.
The sea condition would be “high to very high” along and off North Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and South Andhra Pradesh coast, the Met office said. Storm surge of about 1-1.5 metre over the astronomical tide is likely to inundate low lying areas of Chennai, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur and Nellore districts, it said.
The Met office also advised total suspension of fishing operations and for coastal dwellers to move to safer places.
Danger signals ranging from seven to five have been hoisted at Chennai, Ennore, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, and Puducherry ports. Local cautionary signal number three has been hoisted at Pamban and Thoothukudi ports, it said.
Holiday declared
A press release issued by the State government stated that a holiday had been declared for schools and colleges in all coastal districts on Thursday, following the instruction of Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, who chaired a meeting on Wednesday afternoon.
Employees of government offices in Chennai had been allowed to leave their offices at 3 p.m. The Chief Minister asked Commissioner of Revenue Administration to advise private organisations to permit workers to leave for homes in the afternoon.
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