According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the deep depression in southwest Bay of Bengal intensified into a cyclonic storm ‘Burevi’ at 5:30 pm on Tuesday, 1 December. The storm is likely to cross the coast of Sri Lanka, specifically near Trincomalee, on Wednesday and is expected to make landfall in south Tamil Nadu, between Kanyakumari and Pamban, by Friday morning.
Kerala had started evacuating people from coastal and low-lying areas on Tuesday morning, seeking help from National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Hindustan Times reported.
“Total suspension of fishing operation from 1 December to 4 December is advised. Fishermen out at Sea are advised to return to the coast,” IMD said according to ANI.
The IMD has also announced a red alert in several south and central Kerala districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta.
Heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected is isolated places like south and north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal, north Kerala and Mahe over the next few days, and high winds are likely to be seen on the coasts of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Lakshadweep between 2 and 4 December.
The Director General of IMD has also suspended all fishing activities till 4 December, and informed that the cyclone is likely to cause damage to crops and disrupt essential services.
The Director General of NDRF has also said that the required teams have been positioned in affected areas, and more teams are on standby across the state of Tamil Nadu, NDTV reported.
In view of the intensifying depression, The National Crisis Management Committee, headed by cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba had met with the chief secretaries of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, the advisor of Lakshadweep and secretaries of different ministries via video conferencing on Tuesday morning.
(With inputs from NDTV and Hindustan Times)
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