The very severe cyclonic storm ‘Vardah’, the most intense to have hit Tamil Nadu’s capital in two decades, claimed four lives, flattened homes, snapped power, communication lines and threw into disarray rail, road and air traffic as it crossed the coast, pounding Chennai, Tiruvallur and Kanchipuram with heavy rain and squall.
However, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the intensity of wind and rainfall would recede after Vardah made landfall near Chennai between 2.30pm and 4.30 pm.
Meanwhile, thousands of people were evacuated as roaring wind, clocking speed
of 100 km an hour uprooted trees, tore off hoardings and toppled cars. Two fishermen were reported missing off the Andhra Pradesh coast in Kakinada and the Coast Guard has deployed a ship for search and rescue operations. Though no major loss of life or property has been reported from AP so far, heavy rain lashed Chittoor and SPS Nellore district, affecting normal life.
Public transport came to a standstill in Chennai with buses and suburban trains suspended and airport shut. Rail, road and air traffic, official sources said, are likely to be restored by Tuesday.
Most commercial establishments downed shutters in Chennai, Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts.
“After 1994, this is the first very severe cyclonic storm to hit the Chennai coast. The storm has completely crossed the coast as expected,” a senior Met official said.
Two ships of Indian Navy Shivali and Kadmatt had left Visakhapatanam for Chennai to help in relief and rescue operations. “The ships were carrying relief material as part of the Operation Madad,” said a spokesman of the Navy
Civic workers used hand-held battery-operated saws to remove hundreds of uprooted trees lying on the roads.
Personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) were deployed for rescue efforts as the Army was put on standby.
A Home Ministry spokesperson said in New Delhi that four people were killed in the storm in Tamil Nadu, while six teams of NDRF and four of SDRF were engaged in rescue efforts.
About 8,000 people from low-lying areas in north Chennai, Pazhaverkadu in Tiruvallur district and villages off Mamallapuram, in Kanchipuram district were safely evacuated to 95 relief shelters, officials said.
In Andhra Pradesh, over 9,400 people living along the Bay of Bengal were evacuated to relief camps amid heavy rain causing widespread impact on the two coastal districts of Nellore and Prakasham and three other districts of Rayalaseema region.
While officials heaved a sigh of relief that the severe cyclone did not hit the State directly, still the system had significant impact on the southern coastal region of the State.
Heavy to very heavy rains were lashing the parts of Andhra Pradesh since Sunday evening and powerful winds gusting up to 100 to 120 kms per hour hit the coast of Nellore district as the storm was crossing the coast.
In view of the cyclone warning the administration in Nellore, Prakasham, Chittoor, Kadapa and Anantapur was already on a high alert. The SDMC MV Sheshagiri Babu said that 10,000 people were evacuated from the low lying and vulnerable areas to different shelters in Nellore and Prakasham.
“We have issued warning to the fishermen not to venture in to the sea in view of the very rough conditions”, he said.
Also, separate teams of personnel drawn from the health, sanitary and electricity departments were deployed for relief operations in low-lying areas of three storm-hit Tamil Nadu districts.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh to take stock of the situation in the two States and promised all help.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and his Andhra Pradesh counterpart N Chandrababu Nadu apprised the Home Minister of the damage caused by the cyclone and steps taken for the rescue and relief operations.
Panneerselvam was constantly monitoring the situation as State Ministers were visiting relief centres to oversee relief distribution.
The Southern Railway said the cyclone had caused severe impact to its infrastructure and prompted cancellation, diversion and suspension of rail services.
“The intensity of the cyclone has had a severe impact on the infrastructure of Chennai Division, resulting in considerable damage. Overhead electrical lines have been damaged at several locations,” Anupam Sharma, Divisional Railway Manager, Southern Railway said.
“As a result of disruption of overhead electrical lines, 16 trains have been held up in Jolarpettai - Chennai Central section and four trains in Villupuram - Chennai Egmore section. Several Chennai-bound trains have been regulated at various stations of Chennai division, he said.
Urgent steps were being taken to ensure movement of all Mail/Express trains which were held up mid-section. Passengers of all such trains were given maximum facilities so as to obviate the hardships to the extent possible, Sharma said.
Operations at Chennai airport were suspended for the entire night, with nearly 170 services being disrupted through the day even as ten flights to cities including Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru were cancelled.
A total of 44 international and 123 domestic services were affected as they were diverted to nearby airports like Bengaluru even as many stranded passengers were still waiting at domestic and international terminals.
A report from Amravati in Andhra Pradesh said as many as 18 fishermen from Tamil Nadu, who strayed into the Bay of Bengal on Sunday despite warnings, were rescued from near the Sriharikota high altitude range on Monday afternoon.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu announced in evening that Andhra Pradesh was ready to extend all necessary help to neighbouring Tamil Nadu that bore the brunt of ‘Vardah’.
With forecast of heavy rains for the next 24 hours in Nellore, Chittoor, Prakasam and Anantapuramu districts, the official machinery has been asked to remain on alert, mostly to prevent breach of tanks.
Meanwhile, the regional meteorological department in its latest bulletin said Chennai recorded highest rainfall of six centimetres followed by various places in neighbouring Thiruvallur and Kancheepuram
districts.
During the last 24 hours, rainfall occurred at various places over North Coastal Tamil Nadu and at isolated places over remaining Tamil Nadu, coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema.
In its forecast for the next 24 hours, the MeT office said rainfall at most places with isolated heavy to very heavy over south coastal Andhra Pradesh, Rayalaseema, North Coastal Tamil Nadu was “very likely”.
Heavy to very heavy rainfall (between seven and 19 centimetres were expected) at a few places and extremely heavy rainfall of over 20 cms were ‘very likely’ over Chennai, Thiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts.
Gale wind speed reaching 100-110kms per hour gusting to 120 kmph was very likely to prevail during the next 12 hours along and off Chennai and Thiruvallur districts of Tamil Nadu, Nellore and adjoining areas of Prakasam districts of Andhra Pradesh.
The tidal waves of about one metre height and above was “very likely” to inundate the low lying areas of Chennai and Thiruvallur districts of Tamil Nadu, it said.