In the wake of a warning issued by the Meteorological Department about cyclone ‘Nada’ heading towards the eastern coast of Tamil Nadu with an expected landfall in the early hours of December 2, government agencies have put in place various mechanisms to deal with its impact in northern Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
The School Education Department has announced a holiday for schools on Thursday and Friday in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Cuddalore and Nagapattinam districts and in Marakkanam and Vannur taluks in Villupuram district. Separately, the Puducherry administration has declared a two-day holiday.
The Anna University has announced cancellation of Thursday’s semester exams for its affiliated engineering colleges.
‘Nada’ is likely to bring widespread rains over coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry till Friday, S. Balachandran, Director, Area Cyclone Warning Centre in Chennai, said on Wednesday. “While there will be fairly widespread rains till Friday in most parts of coastal Tamil Nadu, there may not be torrential downpour like last year,” he clarified. As on Wednesday, ‘Nada’ lay centered over southwest Bay of Bengal, about 590 km Southeast of Chennai and 560 km East-Southeast of Puducherry.
It is likely to move West-Northwestward, intensify further, and a landfall was expected between Vedaranyam and Puducherry and near Cuddalore during the early hours of December 2.
As a precautionary measure, the National Disaster Response Force has sent four of its teams to Chennai, Cuddalore and Nagapattinam districts.
