The NDRF teams swung into action and cleared trees and electric poles from the roads which had fallen after the very strong cyclone Vardah made landfall near Chennai on Monday.
“The landfall was at Pulicat (Pazhaverkadu) and there are squally rains right now. It is reported that some tress and electric poles have fallen. NDRF teams have begun their operations in clearing theses trees,” RK Pachnanda, director general of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), said on Monday .
Prachanda said 16 teams, eight each in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, were prepositioned to take requisite action well in time.
Read | Cyclone Vardah live updates from Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu
“In AP, teams were prepositioned in Nellore, Sullurpeta, Ongole in Prakasam and Chittoor districts, whereas in Tamil Nadu, three teams were prepositioned in Chennai, two each in Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts and one was pre-positioned at Puducherry,” said Pachnanda.
“Besides, we have stand-by teams in reserve at Arakkonam, near Chennai, Guntur, Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam, and we have a regional response centre in Bengaluru,” he said.
At least four people died on Monday after Cyclone ‘Vardah’ pounded Tamil Nadu, reported the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
The NDMA further said at least 24 huts were damaged and 8,008 people were accommodated in 95 relief camps.
Read | 10 updates on Cyclone Vardah: Wind speed reduces, storm to move towards Karnataka