City spared as Cyclone Ditwah loses its intensity

Even as the government braced for the wrath of Cyclone Ditwah in Chennai, the cyclonic storm weakened as it traversed the coast. Sunday turned out to be pleasant.

Though Cyclone Ditwah was expected to lash many parts of the city, only an average of 3.54 mm rainfall was recorded in all the 15 zones of the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) on Sunday, (November 30, 2025) from 8.30 a.m. to 8.30 p.m.

R.A. Puram recorded the highest rainfall at 27.3 mm, and Madipakkam the lowest at 0.3 mm.

Between October 17 and November 30, the city received 355.7 mm of rainfall.

According to the GCC officials, 457 tree-cutting machines, including hydraulic cutters, ladders, and portable chainsaws, and telescopic cutters, were kept ready. A total of seven trees fell, and they were cleared immediately.

Tiruvottiyur High Road in Ward 14 faced mild water stagnation, which was removed using a motor pump, and silt was cleared.

Anticipating a downpour, the GCC had deployed a total of 1,496 pumps, including 100 hp motor pumps and 550 tractor-mounted pumps.

According to a release, 215 relief centres and 110 community kitchens distributed 32,500 breakfast packets in Adyar Zone’s Ward 172 and Sholinganallur Zone’s Wards 192, 198, 199 and 200 on Sunday.

One lakh packets of Aavin milk powder and one lakh relief kits containing rice, pulses, and cooking oil were distributed.

Twenty special monsoon medical camps were held to prevent disease outbreaks. A total of 103 boats were deployed to move residents from low-lying areas in case of inundation.

Additionally, 60 personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and 30 personnel from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) were put on standby.

As many as 478 vehicles and machines, including amphibians, amphibian excavators, robotic excavators, mini-amphibians, and super-sucker vehicles and tree-clearing vehicles,, were positioned for field operations. Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin visited the State Emergency Operations Centre on Saturday evening and took stock of the preparedness in various districts.

Arrangements had been made to deploy 10 more teams of the NDRF in various parts of the State, Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin said on Saturday.(November 29, 2025).As of Saturday evening (November 29), a total of 12 NDRF teams and 16 State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams were deployed in 16 districts across the StateAs of Saturday evening, a total of 1,836 people were accommodated in 26 relief camps in districts that received heavy rains.

Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin visited the State Emergency Operations Centre in Chennai on Saturday evening and took stock of the situation and preparedness in various districts. “As of now [Saturday evening], crops in about 20,000 hectare are under water. Once the water drains, the damage would be ascertained.”

Over 1,100 boats are ready to be deployed for rescue operations, he said. Since heavy rains are expected in northern districts on November 30, the Deputy Chief Minister said: “The government is requesting people not to venture out of their houses unnecessarily.”

“We are continuously monitoring the heavy rain situation. We request the people to extend complete cooperation to all the steps being undertaken by the government. Let us coordinate and act responsibly at this time. We will overcome this situation,” he said. Minister K.K.S.S.R. Ramachandran and senior officials accompanied the Deputy Chief Minister.