Tamil Nadu all geared up to face cyclone ‘Gaja’

CHENNAI: RB Udhayakumar, MLA, Tirumangalam constituency, said that with eight national disaster response force teams and seven squads from the state counterparts, Tamil Nadu is all geared up to face the onslaught of cyclone ‘Gaja’ which is expected to make landfall on its coast down south.

The cyclone lay centred at 690 km east-northeast of Chennai and 790 km east-northeast of Nagapattinam in the Bay of Bengal is set to cross the state between Cuddalore and Pamban near Rameswaram, said S Balachandran, regional director, IMD, on November 13.

Balachandran further said, “The tides will rise one foot higher than normal and it would cause inundation in Nagapattinam, Karaikal, Pudukkottai, Thanjavur and Ramanathapuram districts. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea between November 14 and November 16.” In Chennai, the metro would be spared from the onslaught of the cyclone though it would bring isolated rainfall, he added.

368 mobile medical teams, 315 veterinary medical teams, motor pumps, swimmers, snake catchers are also ready to render timely assistance. Amid these, the Union water resources department has advised the Tamil Nadu government to monitor all the dams to prevent any calamity in view of the prediction of a heavy rainfall.