IT capital Bengaluru and parts of southern interior Karnataka and northwestern interior Tamil Nadu are expected to receive moderate rains until Thursday at least as cyclone Vardah passes through the state on Tuesday. However, flights resume from Chennai and normalcy are coming back to the capital of Tamil Nadu.
At least ten people have been reportedly killed after Cyclone Vardah landfall.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam announced a solatium of Rs. Four lakhs each to the families of those killed in the cyclone. Pannerselvam said over 10,000 people were evacuated from coastal areas, while more that 9,000 people were moved to relief camps in Andhra Pradesh. Flight operations were suspended at the Chennai airport on Monday but resumed early Tuesday.
The loss caused by cyclone Vardah in Tamil Nadu is likely to be around $1 billion (Rs. 6,749 crore), said industry body Assocham on Tuesday.
“The hurricane-strength storm caused by cyclone Vardah uprooted trees, overturned cars and caused extensive damage to buildings, besides it has also significantly hit agricultural sector, destroying banana plantations, papaya groves, rice paddies and others thereby causing widespread destruction worth up to $1 billion,” said D S Rawat, Secretary General, Assocham.
Karnataka capital Bengaluru experienced light showers and windy conditions on Tuesday a day after Cyclone Vardah hit Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
Cyclone Vardah has claimed the lives of at least ten people and has brought down trees and power lines. Chennai was still on its knees, removing road blocks caused by uprooted trees and a virtual blackout.
According to the ongoing reports, 19 NDRF teams have been deployed to monitor the situation in cyclone hit areas.
All the educational institutions remained closed on Tuesday in Chennai due to the cyclone.
So far, 297 roads have been blocked and more than 10,000 people have been rescued. Nearly 300 relief camps have been set up and 12,000 food packets distributed across the affected regions. AP Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu is monitoring the situation continuously and has instructed the NDRF teams to keep a close watch until the cyclone subsides.
The IMD reports suggest that the cyclone is likely to make a landfall in Karnataka and culminate at Goa.
Tamil Nadu’s state disaster management cell reports that Anna Salai, Kamarajar Salai, Poonamallee High road, Rajaji Salai, RK Salai, Sardar Patel Road and Lalbahadur Sastri Road have been cleared of fallen trees.
