The powerful cyclone hit southern India, uprooting trees and causing strong winds and rains as tens of thousands of people were evacuated.
A powerful cyclonic storm hit the southeast coast of India early Thursday, uprooting trees and generating strong winds and rain as tens of thousands of people took refuge in shelters.
Downtown Nivar made landfall at 3:05 am local time (21:35 GMT Wednesday) near Puducherry with winds of up to 130 kilometers (81 miles) per hour.
Tamil Nadu Minister RB Udhayakumar said Wednesday night that some 175,000 people were transferred to shelters across the state when local authorities declared a public holiday on Wednesday and Thursday, shutting down everything except emergency services.
Thousands of state and national emergency personnel were deployed to the southern regions of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry when authorities suspended power supplies in several cities to prevent damage to the power grid.
Heavy rains from the storm caused flooding in some streets in Chennai city, the largest city in Tamil Nadu, which is home to many large automakers, according to a Reuters witness.
Flight operations at Chennai Airport were suspended until Thursday morning and subway train services were stopped.
People were seen walking in knee-deep water on some streets in southern Chennai, which has many low-lying areas susceptible to flooding. Local administration workers have been working to remove downed trees and power lines, city corporation officials said on Twitter.
Chennai authorities said they were also closely monitoring the level of reservoirs and lakes to prevent a repeat of the 2015 floods that killed several hundred people. The Chembarambakkam Lake, on the outskirts of Chennai, spilled extra water due to heavy rains.
Local media reported at least five deaths in and around Chennai, due to causes including falling trees, drowning and electrocution.
Initially classified as a “very severe cyclonic storm” as it swirled in the Bay of Bengal, Nivar weakened after making landfall in a “severe cyclonic storm,” the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
It is forecast to move northward and further weaken in the coming hours, the meteorological bureau added.
The danger is ‘not over yet’
The Weather Department said the intensity of Nivar had dropped from 85 to 95 kph (53 to 59 mph) and is expected to weaken further.
Fierce winds uprooted trees and toppled power towers, while downpours battered parts of the region, causing flash floods.
Tamil Nadu’s Cuddalore district has recorded nearly 244 millimeters (9.6 inches) of rain since Wednesday morning, with a severe weather warning for more thunderstorms in the state.
Residents shelter from heavy rain under umbrellas as they walk along a deserted road as Cyclone Nivar approaches the southeast coast of India in Puducherry [Arun Sankar/AFP]
In Puducherry, home to 1.6 million people, the rain-soaked streets and markets were deserted and Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi appealed to locals to stay indoors and follow instructions from authorities.
“Move to high places where necessary. There are relief centers. Please move there, ”Bedi said in a video message on Twitter.
The navy said its ships, planes and crew were on standby to help with disaster relief.
But people in some places along the coast were reluctant to abandon their homes and fishing boats and move to government shelters.
Municipal workers remove fallen tree branches from a road during rains before Cyclone Nivar made landfall in Chennai [P Ravikumar/Reuters]
No evacuation orders were issued in Sri Lanka, but heavy rains were forecast, particularly in the north of the island nation.
Fishermen were advised not to go out to sea.
More than 110 people died after “super cyclone” Amphan devastated eastern India and Bangladesh in May, razing villages, destroying farms and leaving millions without electricity.
But the death toll was much lower than the thousands killed in previous cyclones of that size, as a result of better weather forecasting and better response plans.
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