BackAt least 25 killed in TN as Cyclone Gaja leaves a trail of destruction
TN CM announces 10 lakh for kin of deceased, 1 lakh for the severely injured, and 25,000 for those with minor injuries
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Chennai:At least 25 people were killed after severe cyclonic storm Gaja hit the coast of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry shortly after midnight on Friday with wind speeds gusting around 120kmph, leaving behind a trail of destruction in the Cauvery delta.
The toll is expected to increase, officials said. The cyclone later weakened.
Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami announced a sum of ₹ 10 lakh for the families of the deceased, ₹ 1 lakh for the severely injured, and ₹ 25,000 for those with minor injuries. He said he would ask the Union government for relief funds after making a full assessment.
As the “severe cyclonic storm" weakened into a “cyclonic storm" as it moved inland, heavy to very heavy rains are expected in Trichy, Namakkal, Dindigul, Madurai, Theni, Karur, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Nilgiris and Virudhunagar, the India Meteorological Department said.
Cyclone Gaja crossed Nagapattinam at 12.30am. Vedaranyam, the worst affected town in Nagapattinam district, remained cut off. Karaikal in Puducherry, about 30km from Nagapattinam, also faced the brunt of Gaja.
Revenue minister R.B. Udhayakumar said rescue work and clearing of debris is underway by the respective district administration. District authorities have been directed to assess the loss of property.
Opposition leader and president of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam M.K. Stalin appreciated the precautionary steps taken by the Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority and said there was a need for taking a similar approach in relief efforts.
Power supply has remained suspended since Thursday night in the Cauvery delta districts. As many as 5,000 trees and about 13,000 electricity poles have been uprooted and many buildings damaged.
About 82,000 people in the districts of Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Ramanathapuram, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Pudukottai have been evacuated and moved to over 470 relief centres. A total of 261 medical camps have been set up to provide assistance and the health department has been directed to increase the number of camps if needed. About 400 ambulances have been deployed.
As heavy rains are expected to continue, schools and colleges in about 22 districts will remain closed and universities have cancelled /postponed?/ examinations.
Nine teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in Tamil Nadu and two in Puducherry have been deployed since Wednesday. About seven other teams belonging to the state disaster response force are also at work.
While bus services have resumed partially, some of the trains have been partly or fully suspended.
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