Cyclone Vardah

Tamil Nadu government says 18 people killed in rain-related incidents in the state during cyclone Vardah, PTI reports

A day after cyclone Vardah ravaged Chennai, Southern Railway cancelled a few trains departing from Chennai Central and Chennai Egmore on Tuesday.

A day after cyclone Vardah disrupted power supply in Chennai and nearby districts, Tangedco employees were busy on Tuesday repairing the damaged transformers and other installations. Power supply was restored in some areas. However, it would take at least 24 more hours to restore power supply in some areas where transformers were damaged badly by fallen trees, said a senior official of Tangedco (Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation) on Tuesday.

16,000 litres of diesel stored

The Tamil Nadu state government has stocked 16,000 litres of diesel as fuel back up for hospitals that have run out of fuel for power back up. Hospitals have been asked to call 108 for emergencies. In addition, five tankers of oxygen are kept on reserve in Kilpauk medical college hospital.

Surgeries cancelled in many hospitals

Many hospitals have cancelled surgeries, which are not emergency. Hospitals, however, said they have adequate fuel back up

Industry body Assocham says Cyclone Vardah has caused $1billion damage

Chief Minister O Panneerselvam reviews relief and rehabilitation measures with senior bureaucrats

Fighting Vardah

Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu said he instructed the revenue, police and state disaster response force & other departmens not to lower their guard against cyclone Vardah

482 electric poles in Chennai and 4,000 electric poles in rural areas had fallen

4,000 workers to remove trees

4,000 workers roped in from neighbouring districts to remove the uprooted trees in Chennai

Medical aid

33 special medical camps established in Chennai

​ Electricity to be restored by Tuesday evening

Tamil Nadu electricity minister Thangamani says all power lines that were snapped when Cyclone Vardah raged through Chennai on Monday would be restored by this evening. He was speaking to a Tamil news channel.

Flight operations resume at Tirupati Airport after it was temporarily suspended due to Vardah that hit TN & AP yesterday

Rainfall over north interior Tamil Nadu and adjoining South Karnataka likely in next 12 hours: NDMA (ANI)

Mobile services yet to resume in cyclone-hit Chennai

Despite an advisory by the state government asking citizens to refrain from venturing outside as cyclone Vardah made landfall on Monday , many Chennaiites thronged the Marina beach seeking a piece of the cyclonic action and clicked selfies.

Cyclonic storm Vardah weakened into deep depression over North Tamil Nadu. The storm is moving westward and is expected to bring rains in parts of Karnataka and Kerala.

At least 150 government ambulances were doing the rounds dealing with injuries and trauma caused by the cyclone. In addition to emergency calls from patients, the control room received calls from four private hospitals for fuel.

Supercyclone Vardah made landfall near Chennai on Monday with unprecedented wind speeds of 140kmph. This may have cheered people in the city who lived through last year's floods, but it was dismal news for the city's water managers, who said the weather phenomenon produced only 11cm of rainfall.

Cyclone Vardah snapped transmission lines leading to power outages across Chennai. Lines started tripping as rain pounded the city. The fierce winds snapped overhead transmission lines in many areas.

City commuters had a rough time getting any where on Monday as heavy rains and gusty winds made vehicle movement increasingly sporadic. While few autos and cabs took to the roads, it was the MTC that braved the storm, ferrying people across the city.

Akin to the wave of volunteerism witnessed during the floods last year, hours after Vardah hit the city, residents fanned out on the streets removing uprooted trees and forming teams to aid corporation workers.

The milk federation said its supply in Chennai, which consumes 11.5 lakh litres of milk, will be normal on Tuesday with all its factories working full strength.

Amma canteens, despite the category 5 storm on Monday , continued to serve food free of cost, as it has since the state went into mourning after Jayalalithaa's demise on December 5.

Over 2,803 trees are estimated to have fallen, of which Greater Chennai Corporation cleared about 700. Trees crashed on cars and autos, paralysed traffic, with motorists stuck for hours.

IT majors like Cognizant, Infosys, HCL Tech and Wipro gave work-from-home option to many of their employees on Monday as cyclone Vardah lashed the city. The few who did go were allowed to leave early.

Cyclone Vardah howled through Chennai between 2.30pm and 4.30pm on Monday, killing at least six people and maiming the city. Most of the deaths, including that of a three-year-old boy, were due to wall collapses triggered by wind and torrential rain.

Death toll rises to 10 in Tamil Nadu (4 in Chennai, 2 in Kancheepuram, 2 in Tiruvallur, 1 in Villupuram & 1 in Nagapattinam): NDMA

Chennai Airport now operational after the services were temporarily suspended yesterday

Govt & private schools, colleges & other educational institutions in Chennai, Kanchipuram & Tiruvallur to remain closed today.

Schools and colleges to remain shut in Chennai and surrounding areas today.

Though power would be restored very shortly in several parts of Chennai, it would take one or two days in North Chennai and in Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts. Adequate generators have been stocked to supply drinking water till then, the chief minister said in a statement.

Despite an advisory by the Tamil Nadu government asking residents to refrain from venturing outside as cyclone Vardah made landfall on Monday, many Chennaiites thronged the Marina Beach seeking a piece of the cyclonic action and clicked selfies.

Centre, NDMA is working closely with local administrations & army for safety of life and property, tweets Prime Minister Modi

PM Modi shares his concerns about Cyclone Vardah

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en"> My prayers are with all those people who are affected due to adverse weather conditions caused by <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CycloneVardah?src=hash">#CycloneVardah</a>. Stay safe.</p> &mdash; Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/808356821018689536">December 12, 2016</a></blockquote>

Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Agency requests people to use #Treefall to give info on road blocks

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en"> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Vardah?src=hash">#Vardah</a> Request people to give contact number also in tweet when they are sharing info on road blocks or tree felling. Use <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Treefall?src=hash">#Treefall</a> tag.</p> &mdash; TN SDMA (@tnsdma) <a href="https://twitter.com/tnsdma/status/808226720763416576">December 12, 2016</a></blockquote>

Chennai may have had another tryst with extreme weather &mdash; Monday&#39;s supercyclone Vardah with wind speeds of 120+kmph &mdash; but former chief minister J Jayalalithaa&#39;s most far-reaching welfare project, Amma canteens, ensured that Chennai did not have to bear the ordeal on an empty stomach.<br /> <br /> Amma canteens, despite the category 5 storm on Monday, continued to serve food free of cost, as it has since the state went into mourning after Jayalalithaa&#39;s demise on December 5.

Tamil Nadu government announcues Rs 4 lakh compensation to family members of those who died due to Cyclone Vardah, reports ANI

Services at Chennai Airport suspended till 11 pm, ANI says

Facebook enables safety check in Chennai as cyclone Vardah hits

Centre cautions Tamil Nadu against floods after cyclone

In an advisory to the state government, the ministry said: "In view of the expected heavy to very heavy rainfall... in the districts of Chennai, Kanchipuram and Thiruvallur, along with very severe cyclonic storm 'Vardah'... good inflows are likely into the reservoirs of Poondi, Chembarampakkam and other lakes around the Chennai city."

Indian Space Research Organisation's Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, from where rockets are launched, escaped the fury of the very severe cyclonic storm Vardah by a whisker as scientists had taken necessary precautionary measures to guard the facility.

All the educational institutions in Chennai, Kanchipuram and Tiruvallur to remain closed tommorrow

The tailwind of Cyclone Vardah hit Chennai between 5pm and 5.45pm and stirred sand on Marina Beach. Seawater entered more 100 metre on to the beach, beyond the usual shoreline, reaching many of the boats tied on the shore.

Severe cyclonic storm Vardah pounded Chennai at an unprecedented 140kmph for a good 90 minutes on Monday afternoon until it crossed the city and travelled inland, bringing at least 10cm rainfall and claiming seven lives.

The worst is over, said weathermen, forecasting light to moderate rainfall in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram and Villupuram districts in the next 24 hours.

Cyclone position

Crossing north Chennai, Wind speed: 100 kms to 110 kms gusting to 120 kms

2 fishermen go missing off Kakinada in Andhra

Coast Guard says it has deployed ship for search and rescue operations

Cyclone Vardah uprooted hundreds of trees across Chennai on Monday. The official estimate as of 4pm was 1,068 trees of which 464 were cleared, but the numbers could be a lot more as the rain and wind were every severe.