Cyclone Nivar, heading towards the coast of Tamil Nadu, will make landfall after 2 am Thursday, the director general of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) SN Pradhan said on Wednesday.
He also said that more than a lakh people have been evacuated in Tamil Nadu.
“Cyclone Nivar may make landfall after 2 am on November 26. More than a lakh people have been evacuated through Tamil Nadu and more than 1,000 people have been evacuated in Puducherry,” Pradhan told the news agency ANI.
Previously, ANI had quoted Pradhan as saying that response force teams have been on the ground for the past two days.
Also read: Airport operations closed, roads blocked in Chennai before Cyclone Nivar makes landfall tonight
Cyclone Nivar has intensified into a “very severe cyclonic storm” and the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) added that it is located about 90 km southeast of Cuddalore, 220 km from Chennai and 150 km from Puducherry.
The Chennai airport on Wednesday night had canceled all flight operations from 7pm Wednesday to 7am Thursday. The decision was made considering the safety aspect of the passengers and the severity of the approaching cyclone, added airport authorities.
Also read: ‘Preparing for the worst’, says NDRF chief as cyclone Nivar approaches
Meanwhile, the Railroads canceled more than a dozen special trains Wednesday and Thursday that were scheduled to originate and terminate in southern states. The Railways added that a full refund will be given for trains that were completely canceled due to the cyclone and that the time limit to use them has been extended to six months from the date of travel.
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