With Cyclone Ditwah set to bring intense rainfall over the delta and adjoining districts, the official machinery in the region has been put on high alert to tackle exigencies.
Teams of Tamil Nadu Disaster Response Force have been moved to Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, and Pudukottai districts.
A team of 30 Tamil Nadu Disaster Response Force personnel from Avadi reached Thanjavur on Friday along with necessary equipment required for flood relief operation. The team called on District Collector B. Priyanka Pankajam and assured her of its cooperation in emergency rescue operation.
Meanwhile, the fishermen, both country-made and mechanised boat users, along the Thanjavur district coast stayed away from the sea on Friday and a majority of those who ventured into the sea for deep-sea fishing a few days ago have returned to the shore heeding to the announcement made by the State government, according to official sources.
Another team of 30 TNDRF personnel reached Tiruvarur on Thursday night and were stationed at the district headquarters. The team members would be split, as per requirement in case of any emergency and rushed to the spot to assist the Revenue and other departments in the rescue operations, official sources added.
District administrations in Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai and Karaikal in neighbouring Puducherry have heightened monsoon-readiness measures in view of heavy rainfall and cyclone-related impact expected over the coming days, with senior officials conducting review meetings and field inspections across vulnerable regions.
In Nagapattinam, a district-level review meeting was held at the Collectorate under the leadership of district monitoring officer and Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation Managing Director A. Annadurai. Collector P. Akash and zonal officers of the rank of Sub-Collector have been appointed across taluks, each overseeing three multi-department teams for evacuation, rescue, and shelter management. Twelve teams comprising 132 trained personnel have been deployed across the district.
Flood-prone spots
Authorities have identified 68 flood-prone locations and readied six multi-purpose disaster shelters, 12 cyclone shelters, and over 300 institutional buildings for emergency accommodation. Over 5,000 trained first responders, 300 Aapta Mitra volunteers, 600 shelter volunteers, and 90 Disaster Response Force personnel are on standby. Heavy-duty equipment — 131 JCBs, 358 generators, 169 power saws, 13,750 sandbags. and 574 mechanised boats — has been stocked. A 24×7 control room (04365-1077/1800-233-4233) is in operation.
Later, Mr. Annadurai and Mr. Akash inspected the TNCSC open-yard paddy storage facility at Velankanni where 2,600 tonnes of paddy from 50 Direct Procurement Centres are stored under tarpaulin cover. They reviewed coastal safety structures along the Nagore–Pattanacheri belt.
In Mayiladuthurai, a review meeting was chaired by Co-optex Managing Director and district monitoring officer Kavitha Ramu. Collector H.S. Srikanth was present. The district has deployed 13 automated rain gauges, three weather stations, 19 VHF sets, and a satellite phone, while readying four multipurpose cyclone shelters, 10 relief centres, and over 500 buildings for evacuation. More than 4,500 first-level responders, medical teams, 108 ambulances, and 12 taluk-level rescue units are stationed across the district.
Karaikal district adminsitration too has been placed on high alert. At a review meeting chaired by Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister P.R.N. Thirmurugan, Sub-Collector Pooja and other officials were instructed to maintain high alert, enforce precautionary power shutdowns during landfall, clear waterlogging, keep generators ready, deploy health and Fire and Rescue Services personnel, monitor fishermen’s safety, and activate 24-hour control rooms (helplines 1070 and 1077).
Squally weather
Coastal areas in Pudukottai district witnessed squally weather with light showers on Friday. S. Ganesh, Special Secretary, Municipal Adminsitration and Water Supply, the Monitoring Officer for the district, chaired a meeting with Collector M. Aruna and senior officials in Pudukottai to review the arrangements.
Speaking at the meeting, Mr. Ganesh said 77 places in the district had been identified as vulnerable and directed officials to monitor the situation round-the-clock. All necessary equipment should be kept ready, he said.
A TNDRF team comprising 38 members have been stationed in Aranthangi. The district Control Room can be reached by dialling 04322222207 or the toll-free number 1077 or the WhatsApp number 7092300029, he said.
In Tiruchi, Collector V. Saravanan said 154 safe shelters had been kept ready in district in view of the orange alert issued for the district. People can dial 04312418995 in case of emergencies, he said.
Published – November 28, 2025 06:27 pm IST
