Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Friday said that the state government is fully prepared to deal with the impact of Cyclone Ditwah, adding that district collectors have been instructed to remain on 'alert' to deal with the situation.
Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority on Friday said that heavy rains are expected in Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema on Saturday and the day after due to the impact of cyclonic storm 'Ditwah'.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been deployed across several districts in Tamil Nadu to carry out precautionary operations amid heavy rainfall, ahead of Cyclone Ditva, following requests from the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry State Disaster Management Authorities.
Severe waterlogging was witnessed in parts of Thoothukudi due to continuous widespread rainfall over the past few days, which has left large portions of urban and suburban areas inundated.
The system, which has intensified with strong winds and the potential for extremely heavy rainfall, is expected to reach the southwest Bay of Bengal near the North Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and south Andhra Pradesh coasts by early morning of November 30.
The High Commission of India in Colombo on Thursday expressed heartfelt condolences to the affected families and conveyed solidarity with the people of Sri Lanka affected due to landslides and extreme weather conditions.
Multiple neighbourhoods, housing colonies, and narrow streets have been inundated, with rainwater entering residential areas and disrupting normal movement.
The announcement was made early this morning by District Collector Praveenkumar, citing safety concerns and the need to prevent inconvenience to students.
Puducherry Education Minister A. Namachivayam on Tuesday announced the closure of all private and government schools and colleges in Puducherry and Karaikal due to the heavy rainfall warning.
The storm brought heavy rain and strong winds, triggering landslides and flooding. The powerful weather also uprooted numerous trees and damaged homes, roads and vehicles, as per EuroNews.
Several days of heavy rainfall in the region caused the landslides that hit dozens of houses in three villages in Indonesia's Central Java province on Thursday evening, officials said in a statement.