Besides creating 63 relief centres to receive relocated population due to possible heavy downpour in the wake of Cyclone Burevi, the Thoothukudi district administration has kept ready 30,000 sand bags to plug breaches in irrigation tanks.
As cyclone Burevi is expected to reach southern Tamil Nadu coast on December 3 morning after landfall in Trincomalee in Sri Lanka, Thoothukudi district is likely to experience heavy rain on Wednesday and Thursday. Hence, the fishing activities have come to a grinding halt with the boats berthed in the fishing harbours.
At a review meeting conducted at the Collectorate on Tuesday with Monitoring Officer Kumar Jayanth in chair, Collector K. Senthil Raj said relief and rescue teams, comprising of government, police and Fire and Rescue Services personnel had been stationed at 36 vulnerable areas even as 63 relief centres across the district with all basic facilities created. People living close to the Tamirabharani watercourse had been asked to be on the alert as the river could swell due to rains and increased discharge from dams.
Heavy equipment, power cutters, generators and pumps had been kept ready in adequate numbers. Even as all 637 irrigation tanks in the district were being monitored constantly, 30,000 sand bags had been kept ready to plug the breaches, if any. In Thoothukudi alone, 200 pumps had been kept ready to pump out stagnant rainwater, Dr. Senthil Raj said.
Mr. Kumar Jayanth said almost all mechanised fishing boats had returned to the shore safely. “Of the 72 boats which had ventured into the sea, 64 boats reached on Tuesday and 8 will reach the harbour on Tuesday night,” he said.
Superintendent of Police S. Jayakumar said the National Disaster Rescue Force team with 40 personnel had arrived at Thoothukudi. Moreover, 130 policemen trained in relief and rescue operations would also be divided into six teams and deployed at vulnerable areas. To back up the relief work, 1,200 policemen had also been kept ready, he said.
Corporation Commissioner V.P. Jayaseelan, Additional Collector (Revenue) Vishnu Chandran, Sub-Collector Simranjeet Singh and senior officials of various departments participated.
