Airport operations shut, roads blocked in Chennai before Cyclone Nivar makes landfall tonight

A public holiday has been announced on Thursday too across 16 districts. Electricity supply was interrupted in several parts of Chennai and other districts with trees and electricity poles being uprooted. Buses and cars were stranded on roads and subways.

Torrential rain and heavy winds continued to lash Chennai and the coastal districts of Tamil Nadu on Wednesday, even as Cyclone Nivar intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm moving at 16kmph. The cyclonic storm lay about 90 km southeast of Cuddalore, 150 kilometres from Puducherry and 220 km from Chennai according to the IMD.

Fishermen move their boats to a safer place near Mamallapuram before Cyclone Nivar makes landfall at about midnight. (PTI PHOTO.)

“Even after landfall, the system is likely to maintain its cyclonic intensity for about 6 hours and weaken gradually,” the weather office said in its 4.30 pm bulletin. Rainfall has been predicted to continue until November 27,” said S Balachandran, Director, Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Chennai.

After 6.00 pm, 5,000 cusecs of water was released from the Chembaramakkam reservoir into the Adyar River, which is an increase from 1,000 cusecs released at noon.

As of 5.00 pm, 1,217 people including 259 children were evacuated and sent to 25 relief camps in Chennai. All major arterial roads in Chennai have been closed until further orders.

A public holiday has been announced on Thursday too across 16 districts. Electricity supply was interrupted in several parts of Chennai and other districts with trees and electricity poles being uprooted. Buses and cars were stranded on roads and subways.

Airport operations of domestic and international flights at the Chennai airport have been suspended from 7.00 pm on November 25 to 7.00 am on November 26.