Coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry are bracing for Cyclone Nivar, which has intensified into a ‘severe cyclonic storm’ and is expected to intensify further.
The cyclone is expected to hit the coast, likely near Puducherry, by midnight or early tomorrow, said the Met department. It could hit the coast between Mamallapuram in Tamil Nadu (which is around 56 km from state capital Chennai) and Karaikal in Puducherry.
The cyclone will bring extremely heavy rainfall and winds between 120 and 130 km per hour, with gusts of up to 145 km per hour, the Regional Meteorological Centre in Chennai has advised, adding that coastal areas could receive heavy rain till tomorrow.
The plants of Royal Enfield, Yamaha, Renault-Nissan and Daimler were shut on Wednesday after the Tamil Nadu government declared a public holiday. Ashok Leyland, Ford, Hyundai, TAFE and Apollo Tyres are some other automotive companies with their facilities in and around Chennai. A public holiday has been declared tomorrow in 13 districts of Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, chief minister (CM) E Palaniswami said.
Bus services in seven Tamil Nadu districts have been suspended. The state government has said that those involved in essential services will continue to work. The CM has appealed to people to stay indoors as far as possible and said over 4,000 “vulnerable” locations had been identified and local officials have been told to ensure peoples’ safety.
