ADVERTISEMENT
Cyclone "Thane" hits north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry; claims 25 lives
New Delhi, December 30, 2011
A satellite image of cyclone "Thane" taken by Kalpana-I at 0630 hours on December 30, 2011. Photo: Courtesy IMD website.
As many as 25 people were killed as the severe cyclonic storm "Thane" hit the north Tamil Nadu coast and Puducherry this morning and left behind a trail of devastation.
The cyclone crossed the coast between Puducherry and Tamil Nadu's Cuddalore district between 0630 and 0730 hours today, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
The IMD said the cyclone had first weakened into a deep depression and then moved west-southwestward and weakened into a depression.
At 1730 hours today, it lay centered over north Tamil Nadu, close to Salem. The system is likely to move westwards and weaken further into a low pressure area during next 12 hours.
Under the influence of this system, rainfall at most places, with heavy to very heavy falls at isolated places, would occur over north Tamil Nadu during the next 12 hours.
Rainfall at many places with isolated heavy rainfall may occur over Rayalaseema during next 12 hours and over north Kerala and coastal and south interior Karnataka during the next 24 hours, an IMD bulletin issued at 1900 hours said.
A UNI report from Chennai said as many as 13 people were killed in Cuddalore district, which bore the brunt of the cyclone's fury, due to wall collapses, electrocution and falling of trees.
Ten other deaths were reported from other coastal districts in Tamil Nadu, including three from Villupuram. Two people died in Puducherry.
A cargo ship stranded near Chennai Port due to cyclonic storm "Thane" on December 30, 2011. UNI PHOTO
According to the report, the gale winds, accompanied by heavy rains uprooted more than 1,000 trees and threw normal life out of gear in Cuddalore district.
The high tidal waves inundated a number of coastal hamlets along the 57 km long coastline in the district. Though the district administration advised people to move out to safer places, many stayed back in their houses and got marooned.
''The extent of damages in the district is being assessed and priority has been accorded to restoring power supply and other infrastructural facilities,'' Cuddalore District Collector P Amuthavalli told UNI.
Besides uprooting trees, ''Thane'' felled electric poles and mobile phone towers, disrupting power supply and communication links in the entire district.
Though ''Thane'' spared Chennai, the impact of the furious cyclonic storm was strongly felt as heavy rains, accompanied by gusty winds, lashed the city and its suburbs, forcing the people to remain indoors.
A report from Puducherry said ''Thane'' created havoc when the Union Territory was asleep last night. Gusty winds with speed ranging from 125 to 140 kms per hour, lashed theterritory, throwing normal life out of gear.
Hundreds of avenue trees, lamp posts and cellphone towers fell victims to ''Thane'', the report said. Normal life came to a standstill as power supply was completely cut off.
A view of Marina beach in Chennai after sea water left puddles in the sand following high waves due to cyclone "Thane" on December 30, 2011. UNI PHOTO
The cyclonic storm claimed two lives in Puducherry, though unconfirmed reports said four people have died due to wall collapse and electrocution, the report said.
The cyclone also caused extensive damage to standing paddy crops in hundreds of acres in the coastal districts of Cuddalore, Villupuram, Nagapattinam and Thanjavur districts.
In Villupuram district, a farmer was electrocuted at Alathur village while another died in a wall collapse in Kattakuppam village. In Tiruvallur, one person died of electrocution when he came into contact with a livewire at Pattabiram.
The cyclone also caused extensive damage to huts and houses in the coastal districts and to standing crops.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, who reviewed the situation with her cabinet colleagues and senior officials, directed them to take up relief measures on a war footing.
In Puducherry, Chief Minister N Rangasamy described Thane as the severest cyclone to hit the Union Territory after 1975. He said it had claimed two lives and caused extensive damage to property.
Government schools, community centres and marriage halls in coastal areas were used to provide shelter to those evacuated from low-lying areas. Food was being supplied to them from central kitchens opened in the town, he said.
NNN
ADVERTISEMENT
