Two dead as Cyclone Nilam crosses Tamil Nadu coast

The deep depression which had formed in the Bay of Bengal has intensified into a cyclone. The cyclone, which has been named Nilam, will cross Nagapattinam and Nellore (South Andhra Pradesh) tomorrow evening. The wind speed will be around 80kmph and could rise to 100 kmph when the Cyclone Nilam hits. The IMD is expecting the storm surge to be around 1 metre. Low lying districts of Chennai, Kanjipuram are in danger of being inundated. Chennai is witnessing rains and the MET department has forecast heavy rain in the region till tomorrow. A holiday has been issued for schools and colleges in Chennai, Nagapattinam, Cuddalore, Kanchepuram districts and Union Territory of Puducherry.

Fishermen in Nagapattinam, Chennai and Puducherry have been asked to not venture into the sea. Authorities in both Tamil Nadu and Puducherry are gearing up for cyclone Nilam. "The district has a clear contingency plan; each department including the police, fire and rescue services have been allotted specific work like clearing fallen trees, evacuating people etc. and all 21 cyclone shelters are ready," the Collector of Nagapattinam Mr T Munusamy told In the former French colony of Pondicherry, a 46-year-old man drowned when he was swept into the turbulent sea while walking along the coast

An earlier government bulletin had said the cyclone would likely cause flooding of low-lying areas, extensive damage to thatched roofs and huts and also uproot large trees, leading to power blackouts and communication problems. Local authorities said they were preparing helicopters and boats for any emergency. Existing cyclone shelters, schools and community halls have also been identified to serve as potential relief camps. Many shops, government offices and private companies closed early to allow people to travel home before the cyclone struck.

Neighbouring Sri Lanka on Tuesday allowed thousands of people who had been evacuated to return to their homes after the storm, which had been expected to hit the island, changed course and moved towards India. The last cyclone in India struck in the same southeast region in January, claiming 42 lives and leaving a trail of destruction across Tamil Nadu. India and Bangladesh are hit regularly by cyclones that develop in the Bay of Bengal between April and November, causing widespread damage to homes, livestock and crops.

Chennai Corporation Commissioner Dr D Karthikeyan has said that the city is prepared for the cyclone. "All field officials have been asked to stay in their field offices at night; 280 corporation schools and 4 community kitchens are ready to be used as temporary relief centres; police and corporation officials would work together; we will move boats to vulnerable areas as well," Dr Karthikeyan said. The crew member drowned after a life boat carrying him and 21 colleagues capsized in choppy waters off Besant Nagar locality in south Chennai in high velocity winds just hours before the cyclone hit the coast. He was brought dead to a hospital while 15 others were rescued.

They had attempted to escape using the life boat after the ship with 37 crew ran aground having been drifted by high velocity winds. Two others are in a serious condition, Chennai Port Trust officials said. Navy, Coast Guard and other agencies are searching for the remaining six. The other 15 remained onboard the Pratibha Cauvery, the officials said. In Puducherry, a 46-year-old man slipped into the rough sea and drowned when he, along with his friends, was walking on the pier to see the sea conditions during the cyclonic storm. Authorities were relieved as the storm, forecast to be accompanied by wind speeds reaching 110 kmph, made landfall with a maximum speed of only 65-75 kmph, saving the state from large-scale destruction. About 4,000 people residing close to coast in Mahabalipuram, a famous tourist spot known for its temples and sculptures, were evacuated to safer places, officials said. “Cyclonic storm NILAM moved north-northwestwards, crossed north Tamil Nadu coast near Mahabalipuram, south of Chennai between 4pm and 5pm today,” a weather bulletin from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. The system, which brought heavy showers in several parts of the state in the last two days, would move northwestwards and weaken into a deep depression during the next six hours.

It would continue to bring more rainfall over north coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, even up to 25cm or more, the bulletin said. “Rainfall at most places with isolated heavy to very heavy falls would also occur over south coastal Andhra Pradesh, Rayalaseema and north interior Tamil Nadu during next 24 hours,” it added. A top government official said that Nilam is unlikely to be as devastating as cyclone Sandy that tore through the northeast US and other areas. A storm surge of up to 1.5m was expected to flood low-lying areas of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, IMD said. On Monday, comparable surges triggered by Sandy were at least 3m above normal. To be sure, Sandy’s impact on several US cities was exacerbated by several other unrelated atmospheric events in combination with each other. “We don’t expect anything like that,” Shailesh Nayak, secretary, ministry of earth sciences, said in a text message.

State authorities turned 282 schools into relief centres in Chennai. The city’s port halted cargo operations. Twenty three ships were moved to safer areas. About 150,000 people were moved to shelters in Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh, district official B. Sridhar said. In Sri Lanka, authorities said two people were killed and thousands displaced due to heavy rain and strong winds from the storm. Sri Lanka’s disaster management centre said 4,627 people across the island nation had been displaced by flooding, while 56 were evacuated in the central region because of threats of landslides. One woman died on Tuesday after a tree branch fell on her, while another person was killed in flooding, the agency said. Floods also damaged about 1,000 houses

Cyclone ‘Nilam’ nears TN coast Kalpakkam Nuke plant goes on alert With cyclone 'Nilam' intensifying into a severe storm, Madras Atomic Power Station at coastal Kalpakkam on Wednesday said the situation was being "closely watched" and asserted the plant is designed to withstand a wind velocity of 160 kmph. Presently, both the reactors at MAPS were operating "safely", its Director K Ramamurthy said in a statement as 'Nilam' cyclone was expected to cross Tamil Nadu-Andhra Coast close to Chennai this evening.

The Met office has forecast gusty winds with a maximum surface wind speed of 45 kmph to 110 kmph. "Kalpakkam being a coastal site (about 55 km from Chennai), all the structures and equipment were designed to withstand even the wind velocity of 160 km per hour," he said. Ramamurthy said all agencies have been instructed to be on standby alert. Additional personnel have been deployed to keep vigil on "important systems" and "the situation is being watched closely for any developments and to take immediate appropriate action