Cyclone Ditwah: Three dead, widespread crop damage in Tamil Nadu amid heavy rains

Tamil Nadu outlines cyclone preparedness as Ditwah triggers heavy rains

Tamil Nadu Revenue and Disaster Management Minister KKSSR Ramachandran told news agency ANI that the state has taken all necessary precautions ahead of Cyclone Ditwah. He added that Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin inspected both the Disaster Management Control Room and the Chennai Corporation Control Room around 11 pm on Saturday to review the preparedness measures on the ground.

Across the affected districts, 38 relief camps have been set up, accommodating a total of 2,391 people. These include camps in Pudukkottai, Mayiladuthurai, Ramanathapuram, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Nagapattinam, Ranipet, Chengalpattu and Viluppuram. A total of 38 disaster response teams are on standby, including NDRF, TNDRF and SDRF teams.

He said the rains have also inundated nearly 56,000 hectares of farmland, with major damage reported in Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur and Mayiladuthurai. He said that once the rains subside, the chief minister will take a call on the next round of relief measures.

IAF airlifts relief to Sri Lanka, prepares to evacuate stranded Indians

An Indian Air Force (IAF) C-130J aircraft carrying NDRF relief supplies landed in Colombo at 10 am. The same aircraft is scheduled to bring back stranded Indian citizens on its return flight.

IMD's major update, storm now just 70 kms away

In its latest update, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said Cyclonic Storm ‘Ditwah’ over the southwest Bay of Bengal moved nearly northwards at 12 kmph in the past six hours and was centred at 08:30 hrs IST today over the same region. It added that the cyclone’s centre is currently located about 70 km from the north Tamil Nadu–Puducherry coastline.

Three killed in TN; 57,000 hectares of farmland affected

Three people have lost their lives in rain-related incidents caused by Cyclone Ditwah in Tamil Nadu, Minister KKSSR Ramachandran said on Sunday.

As many as 149 cattle died and 57,000 hectares of farmland have been affected in the delta districts, the minister for Revenue and Disaster Management said.

"Three people have lost their lives in rain-related incidents since last evening. While two persons died due to wall collapse in Tuticorin and Thanjavur, respectively, a 20-year-old youth died due to electrocution in Mayiladuthurai," he said while briefing reporters at the State Emergency Operations Centre.

Giving a break up of the impact caused to agricultural lands in delta districts, the minister said 24,000 hectares of land were affected in Nagapattinam, 15,000 hectares in Thiruvarur and 8,000 hectares in Mayiladuthurai. "In total, 57,000 hectares of agriculture lands have been submerged due to heavy rainfall," he said.

Ramachandran said 28 disaster response teams, including SDRF and NDRF, have been kept ready, and an additional 10 more teams have come to Tamil Nadu from other states. The teams will be sent to take up relief and rehabilitation work in those areas which have been largely affected due to the rainfall, he said.

Meanwhile, the weather office said Karaikal in Puducherry received the highest rainfall of 19 cm in the last 24 hours while Sembanarkoil in Mayiladuthurai district recorded 17 cm as of 8.30 am on Sunday. PTI 

NDRF teams continue relief work in Sri Lanka under Operation Sagar Bandhu

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said personnel of the National Disaster Response Force, in coordination with local authorities, are continuing relief operations in Sri Lanka as part of Operation Sagar Bandhu.

NDRF says teams fully prepared for flood-like impact of Cyclone Ditwah

NDRF Deputy Commandant Kapil K said teams in Chennai are fully equipped for any flood-like situation, with inflatable boats, life jackets, medical first-response capability and rope-rescue training.

Flood alerts issued for Sri Lankan capital’s eastern suburbs

Flood alerts have been issued for most of the eastern suburbs in Sri Lanka’s capital here on Sunday morning, officials said as the island nation reels from catastrophic floods, landslides and devastation from Cyclone Ditwah.

Colombo District Secretary Prasanna Ginige said the alerts were issued due to River Kelani rising to dangerous levels. He said schools in the danger areas are being used as relief centres for the flood displaced. People have been warned to evacuate. However, the officials lamented a marked reluctance on their part to heed warnings.

Kelani River continues to be inundated with the flow from upper central hill areas where the devastation from Cyclone Ditwah was severe. Athula Karunanayake, Director General of the Meteorological Department, said by 8 am today, Ditwah was spotted entering the Tamil Nadu coast 150 kilometres away from Sri Lanka’s northern Jaffna. The country would only see light showers at certain locations but generally no adverse weather conditions would prevail over the island in the immediate future, he said.

Jayathissa Munasinghe, the assistant secretary of the National Disaster Relief Centre, said 234,503 families or 833,985 people were affected by the extreme weather. “We are operating 919 centres to accommodate people and give relief to them. 122,822 people from 34,198 families are in them,” he said. PTI

Rain batters Nellore as Cyclone Ditwah moves north

Rain continues across Nellore as Cyclone Ditwah tracks north along the Tamil Nadu–Puducherry coast. IMD says the system will pass parallel to the coast today, coming as close as 70 km by noon and about 30 km by evening.

Cyclone to intensify rainfall along TN, Andhra coast

IMD’s Ananda Kumar Das says Cyclone Ditwah will lash north Tamil Nadu and south Andhra Pradesh with winds easing from 80–90 kmph to 50–60 kmph by evening but heavy to extremely heavy rain will persist. Chennai and coastal TN will see all-day rainfall, with showers likely in south AP and parts of Telangana tomorrow.

Danger Signal 5 hoisted in Cuddalore

The IMD has hoisted Danger Signal 5 in Cuddalore as Cyclone Ditwah moves northward parallel to the Tamil Nadu–Puducherry coast. The storm is expected to pass as close as 70 km by noon and 30 km by this evening.