New Delhi (NVI): Southern Tamil Nadu and southern Kerala have been put on high alert as Burevi inches closer to the southern shores.
According to India Meteorological Department (IMD) bulletin this morning, Burevi is very likely to move west-northwestwards and emerge into Gulf of Mannar near Mannar coast during the next three hours.
Cyclone Warning for South Tamilnadu and South Kerala coasts:Cyclone Burevi' to emerge into Gulf of Mannar during next 3 https://t.co/83HTlHnJJU reach near Pamban around noon and cross south Tamilnadu coast between Pamban and Kanniyakumari during 3rd night/4th early morning as CS pic.twitter.com/TlSCMzRU4L
— India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) December 3, 2020
It is likely to cross south Tamil Nadu coast between Pamban and Kanyakumari in the night and early Friday morning.
Burevi is likely to weaken into into a deep depression on entering Kerala, the weather office said.
Apart from Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Alappuzha, Idukki, and Ernakulam will likely be in Cyclone Burevi’s line of fire, the Met department said, as it issued a red alert for Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha.
Southern Tamil Nadu is also likely to receive heavy rainfall. Pamban, Kanyakumari and state capital Chennai also received rain this morning.
The storm has crossed Sri Lanka’s Trincomalee in its northern coast, bringing with it heavy rains and strong winds.
In total, 26 relief teams have been deployed in Tamil Nadu and Kerala and one team is in reserve in Puducherry, the NDRF said.
Around 360 people have been evacuated from the Pamban area in Tamil Nadu already, with relief camps set up in the Ramanathapuram and Kanyakumari districts and 18 NDRF teams deployed in the southern parts of the state. A team is on standby in Puducherry as well.
Cyclone Burevi, named by the Maldives, will not be as strong as Cyclone Nivar which lashed the northern coast of Tamil Nadu last week, said weather department officials. They said the storm is expected to have a speed of 80-90 km/hour unlike Nivar which had a speed of 110-130 km/hour.
Meanwhile, two Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) ships have been deployed off Tamil Nadu, besides four Navy aircraft on the west coast to warn fishermen at sea as Cyclone Burevi crosses Rameshwaram coast today. Diving and disaster relief teams standby for rendering necessary support to state administration, the Indian Navy said in a statement.
#CycloneBurevi
Two #IndianNavy ships deployed off Tamil Nadu for HADR assistance.
Four #IndianNavy aircraft deployed on the West coast to warn fishermen at sea as #Cyclone (1/2) pic.twitter.com/dFsC97GLFx— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) December 3, 2020
-CHK/ARK
