Cyclone Burevi: Tamil Nadu’s southern districts get heavy rain; Puducherry declares school holiday

MADURAI: Southern districts of Tamil Nadu received heavy rain on Thursday triggered by cyclone Burevi which is expected to cross the coast between Kanyakumari and Pamban on Thursday night or in the early hours of Friday.
A rain-related death was reported at Karaikudi in Sivaganga district. More than 5,000 people were shifted to relief shelters in Ramanathapuram.
Thursday was one of the wettest days in Madurai in recent times.Normal life was affected due to incessant rain.
Water overflowed through the sluices on the southern side of the Vandiyur tank. A team of the National Disaster Response Force, which is stationed in Madurai, inspected the tank and checked its stability. The bunds of this tank were strengthened a few years ago.
Ramanathapuram district received an average rainfall of 46.6 mm till 8am on Thursday. The average rainfall from 8am to 4pm was 23.9 mm. Rameswaram received the highest rainfall of 61.40 mm in eight hours.
Sea remained rough in Rameswaram and Pamban, and sea water entered some of the coastal villages.
The Union territory of Puducherry declared a holiday for government and private schools on Friday on account of heavy rain.
Forecast
The IMD said Burevi moved westwards over the Gulf of Mannar at a speed of 16kmph in the last six hours and lay centred over the same region close to Pamban, about 70km west-northwest of Mannar and 230km east-northeast of Kanyakumari. The storm is likely to move across Pamban area during the next three hours. It would then move west-southwestwards and cross south Tamil Nadu coast between Pamban and Kanyakumari on Thursday night and in the early hours of Friday with a wind speed of 70-80kmph gusting to 90 kmph.
The cyclone’s impact would continue over Ramanathapuram and Tuticorin districts and gradually over Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari districts of south Tamil Nadu and adjoining districts of south Kerala till early hours of Friday.
(With inputs from Bosco Dominique)