The administration has called in three units of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), opened relief camps for evacuees from low-lying areas and established a round-the-clock control room as it ramped up preparedness levels following a cyclone warning.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry for the next three days with the likelihood of a low pressure area over south Andaman Sea intensifying into a cyclone that has been named Mandous.
On Tuesday, Finance Secretary M. Raju holding charge in the absence of the Chief Secretary, chaired a meeting of the disaster management authority involving officials from various nodal departments to put in place a set of measures to minimise the impact of the cyclone.
Officials from the police, education, fire, revenue, health and other departments participated.
Briefing the media after the meeting, District Collector E. Vallavan, said a total of 248 relief camps equipped with basic amenities had been readied in Puducherry and Karaikal — 167 shelters have been set up in Puducherry to accommodate families shifted from flood-prone and vulnerable areas.
While two NDRF units will be stationed in Puducherry, one will be deployed in Karaikal. By evening, two units from NDRF Arakkonam, had reached the Union Territory while a third is expected to arrive on Wednesday.
The key government departments, including police and fire services, electricity, public works and revenue, are geared to tackled the situation, the Collector said. All Primary Health Centres have been adequately staffed with doctors and medicines to render round-the-clock services. Drinking water tanks have also been inspected. Generator units have been kept ready to supply uninterrupted drinking water in case power lines are switched off or disrupted during heavy rain.
The administration has also undertaken a host of measures in and around flood-prone areas to declog water run-off conduits. A coordination team has been set up to remove trees falling on the roads and fix any disrupted power line damaged by crashing poles. “The government is fully geared to face heavy rains forecast for the next three days,” the Collector said.
Meanwhile, 2,353 boats that went to sea for fishing returned to the shore, the Collector said. Fishermen haven been cautioned against venturing into the sea. The toll free lines 1070, 1077 in addition to the regular police and fire distress call lines will be operational throughout.
The Education Department is expected to make an assessment of the cyclone threat possibly on Wednesday to decide on recommending closure of schools and other educational institutions.
