Three days after Cyclone ‘Thane’ unleashed its fury on this district and the Union Territory of Puducherry, relief operations continued on a war footing with more than 2,000 personnel deployed for restoring power supply but the government said it would take another week to get things back in shape.
Though clearing of the major roads blocked by uprooted trees and debris by yesterday came as a big relief to the administration, life continues to be hit in interior areas with relief workers grappling with the Herculean task of restoring power and water supply in affected areas.
Tamil Nadu Rural Industries Minister M C Sampath, who is supervising the relief operations, said power supply would be restored in phases and it would take another week for return of normality in the entire district.
Cuddalore district bore the brunt of the storm accounting for 31 of the 40 lives lost in Tamil Nadu while in Puducherry seven persons were killed. The cyclone also caused extensive damage to crops and left thousands of people in shelters.
Educational institutions would remain closed till January 5 in Cuddalore district and till tomorrow in Puducherry.
Electricity would be restored in Cuddalore and Nellikuppam municipalities today followed by Panruti, Chidambaram and Vridhachalam in a couple of days, Mr. Sampath said after a review meeting with officials on the progress of relief work.
An additional 1,000 engineers and technicians of the state electricity board from neighbouring districts have joined the 800 TNEB workers in normalising power supply.
The cyclone accompanied by gale with a speed of 135 kmph has dismantled the distribution network, uprooting transformers and electric poles, the Minister said.
