Tamil Nadu Prepared for Cyclone Nilam, Officials Say

Nathan G/European Pressphoto AgencyFishermen at the Kasimedu fishing harbor, prepare for Cyclone Nilam in Chennai, Tamil Nadu on Oct. 31.

CHENNAI-Tamil Nadu officials, hoping to avoid a repeat of the destruction caused by Cyclone Thane last year and other recent storms, have prepared extensively for Cyclone Nilam, which is expected to make landfall near the state capital of Chennai early Wednesday evening.

Cyclone Nilam, with winds traveling at 100 kilometers (62 miles) per hour, is off the coast of southern India and expected to make landfall at about 6 p.m. Hundreds of people from the region have alrea dy been evacuated.

The cyclone is heading “northwest to cross anywhere between Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu and Nellore in Andhra Pradesh,” said Y.E.A. Raj, deputy director general of meteorology in Tamil Nadu. He warned that destructive winds and rains unleashed by the cyclone are likely to disrupt daily lives in Tamil Nadu and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh.

After dozens of people were killed by Cyclone Thane in December 2011, and thousands were forced into emergency shelters, the state decided to bulk up its disaster response, using India's National Disaster Response Force as a model. In March, the Tamil Nadu government set up a State Disaster Rescue Force, or S.D.R.F., which pledges to handle natural disasters “on a war footing.”

“Tamil Nadu has a long coastline and the state has witnessed many storms over the years,” said M. Jayaraman, joint commissioner for revenue administration for Tamil Nadu. “We have standa rd operating procedures already in force to tackle natural calamities and have also taken extra efforts this time,” he said.

Courtesy of Sangeetha RajeeshCyclone Nilam approaches Chennai, Tamil Nadu on Oct. 31.

Two teams of S.D.R.F. forces, of 35 trained personnel each, have been sent to Mahabalipuram and Cheyyur Taluks in Kancheepuram district, Mr. Jayaraman said. “They are officers trained by the state in disaster risk management and experts in handling situations arising as a result of natural calamities,” he said. Four more teams are on standby for flood-prone coastal districts, he said.

“All district collectors have been alerted, an d flood-prone districts have fire and rescue personnel ready in case the need arises,” he said.

Heavy rains are expected during the next 24 hours in many coastal districts in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. In Tamil Nadu, the most affected districts will be: Nagapattinam, Thiruvarur, Thanjavur, Tiruchirappalli, Cuddalore, Pondicherry, Villupuram, Kanchipuram, Chennai, Tiruvannamalai, Vellore and Tiruvallur. In Andhra Pradesh, they are Nellore, Chittoor, Anantapur, Cuddapah and Kurnool.

The ocean is expected to surge about 1 to 1.5 meters (5 feet) over the normal astronomical tide, which is likely to inundate the low-lying areas of the Chennai, Kanchipuram and Tiruvallur districts in Tamil Nadu and Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh.

Crops, including paddy, groundnut and maize, in the coastal districts of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh are likely to be damaged. Fishermen have been warned not to venture into the sea until the storm subsides.

In Kancheep uram district, seven teams formed by the district authority are stationed on land and two are patrolling the coastline, said the district collector, L. Sitherasenan. “We have already evacuated 500 people from flood-prone villages, and they are now housed in some of the 19 rescue shelters,” he said. The district has taken cues from past experiences of storms like Thane, he said, and has automatic tree-felling machines and seven ambulances waiting.

The low and vulnerable Cuddalore district has often suffered from natural calamities in Tamil Nadu, recording 486 human fatalities out of 3,925 in the state after the 2004 tsunami. The district collector, Rajendra Ratnoo, said that because of that past experience, the district is now well-equipped to handle Cyclone Nilam. “We have ensured that manpower and material are on alert and special teams are stationed in vulnerable blocks,” he said.

Cuddalore has mobile tree-cutting machinery, sandbags and casuarinas tree s waiting, to prevent flood waters from entering villages. Rescue shelters, food and water are also ready in case of evacuations. “Our priority is to prevent loss of life, and so we have readied a multilayer approach, with all departments working as a team alongside the people,” Mr. Ratnoo said. “We have not evacuated people as yet since the wind is still toward the sea.”