Rescuers transfer people on the waterlogged roads after the cyclone Nivar on the outskirts of Chennai, capital of India's southern state of Tamil Nadu on Nov. 26, 2020. Cyclone Nivar which made landfall early Thursday triggered heavy rains in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, officials said. (Str/Xinhua)
NEW DELHI, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- Cyclone Nivar which made landfall early Thursday triggered heavy rains in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, officials said.
The cyclone crossed the shores near Marakkanam in Tamil Nadu, close to Puducherry with fierce winds ranging from 120 to 130 kmph and gushing to 140 kmph.
"The cyclone brought torrential rainfall in many coastal areas including Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu," an official at local meteorological office said. "The sea became ferocious during the landfall."
Local government officials monitoring the situation said several rivers, rivulets and water bodies received copious waters in wake of the rainfall.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), cyclone Nivar has weakened from a "very severe cyclonic storm" to a "severe cyclonic storm".
Authorities have evacuated over 200,000 people in the coastal states in anticipation of the Nivar cyclone -- the fifth-strongest category on India's scale of seven storm types.
"So far there are no reports about loss of lives, we are right now focussing on rescue in areas that are experiencing heavy rainfall and flooding," a senior government official said. "Damage assessment will be carried out once the situation improves."
Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy said they were reviewing damages.
"Puducherry has been waterlogged, and lots of trees have fallen," Narayanasamy told media.
Following the landfall, the heavy rains and gusty winds disrupted power supply in many parts of Puducherry and Cuddalore town of Tamil Nadu.
"I am overwhelmed by the commitment and support provided by Chennai Corporation and team in handling the Nivar cyclone. Let us together set a good benchmark in handling such natural disasters with our robust systems and processes in place," Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami in a statement said.
Authorities in Tamil Nadu have ordered the resumption of Chennai metro rail service and bus service following the weakening of cyclone. The services were suspended ahead of the cyclone as a precautionary measure.
The national disaster response force (NDRF) teams that have been deployed in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry have swung into action and clearing the roads of uprooted trees.
India's federal home minister Amit Shah said he was closely monitoring the situation in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in the wake of cyclone Nivar.
Apart from deploying NDRF personnel, the Indian government had kept navy on standby to meet any eventuality.
The IMD Thursday morning announced that cyclone Nivar would decrease further in strength in the next three hours.
