Cyclone Ditwah: In view of torrential rains triggered by the cyclonic storm Ditwah, schools and colleges will remain shut across Chennai, Tiruvallur, and Kanchipuram districts on Tuesday. The district authorities made the announcement late on Monday as a precautionary measure. Chennai District Collector Roshni Siddharth Jagade said that all educational institutions would observe a holiday on December 2.
Red alert in Chennai, other districts of Tamil Nadu
Similar orders were issued for Tiruvallur and Kanchipuram districts. According to officials, the holiday has been declared to ensure the safety of students amid a heavy rain forecast. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued a red nowcast warning for Chennai and other districts of Tamil Nadu due to a deep depression lingering low from the Cyclonic storm over west-central and adjoining areas of the Southwest Bay of Bengal and the North Tamil Nadu-South Andhra Pradesh coasts.
Cyclone Ditwah’s Impact: Three dead in Tamil Nadu
Authorities have urged residents to remain cautious, avoid unnecessary travel, and follow further advisories issued by the state government and disaster management agencies. Three people have died in rain-related incidents caused by Cyclone Ditawh in Tamil Nadu, state Disaster Management Minister K K S S R Ramachandran said on Sunday.
334 dead in Sri Lanka
So far, 334 people have been confirmed dead across Sri Lanka as authorities continue to battle rising floodwaters in parts of the capital, Colombo, after a powerful cyclone left a trail of destruction. Meanwhile, on Monday, India sent 53 tons of relief material to Sri Lanka under Operation Sagar Bandhu as part of its emergency response to Cyclone Ditwah, which caused widespread damage across the island nation.
Rescue operations have been taking place simultaneously. Chetak helicopters from INS Vikrant and MI-17 helicopters of the Indian Air Force, in coordination with the Sri Lankan Air Force, conducted extensive rescue operations, airlifting stranded people, including pregnant women, infants, and those critically injured. Rescued persons included nationals of Sri Lanka, India, Germany, Slovenia, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Poland, Belarus, Iran, Australia, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
On November 28, India launched Operation Sagar Bandhu to provide urgent Search & Rescue and Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief (HADR) support to Sri Lanka in the wake of the Cyclone. (With ANI Inputs)
