Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Thiru Edapadi Palani Swamy and discussed the situation in the wake of the cyclone and heavy rainfall in parts of the state. Central teams are being sent to Tamil Nadu to assist in rescue and relief work.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolence on the loss of lives and prayed for a quick recovery of the injured. An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh each would be given to the next of kin of the persons deceased and Rs. 50,000 each to the injured, from the PMNRF.
Cyclone Nivar disrupted normal life in Puducherry, neighbouring Tamil Nadu and parts of Andhra Pradesh on Thursday. Cyclone Nivar developed over the Bay of Bengal and made landfall on the coast of Puducherry around 2.30 am Thursday with a wind speed of 120-130 kmph gusting to 145 kmph.
According to the IMD, Nivar weakened into a severe cyclonic storm after its centre crossed coast near Puducherry. It further weakened into a cyclonic storm and centred about 95 km west-southwest of Chennai at 8.30 am Thursday. The cyclone weakened into a deep depression by Thursday afternoon.
Teams of the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF), the various state disaster response forces, and even the Indian Navy were deployed to carry out rescue and relief operations in Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. They were assisted by the local police and respective district administrations and state governments.
sources and inputs : Times of India, PMO, CMO Tamil Nadu, India Today
