Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], November 28 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Friday said that the state government is fully prepared to deal with the impact of Cyclone Ditwah, adding that district collectors have been instructed to remain on 'alert' to deal with the situation.
"We are fully prepared to face the cyclone. IMD has given a warning for heavy rain in Delta districts and southern areas on November 29-30. I have held a meeting with the Collectors of those districts and instructed them to be on alert. Relief camps will be set up in the areas to be affected by the cyclone," the Chief Minister said.
CM Stalin reviewed the impact of the North East Monsoon through a video conference with District Collectors.
The Meteorological Department in Chennai on Friday issued an alert regarding Cyclonic Storm Ditwah, stating that the cyclonic storm, which is centred over coastal Sri Lanka and the adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal, has moved north-northwestwards at a speed of 10 kmph since the past six hours.
According to the Chennai MeT Department, Cyclonic Storm Ditwah remained centred at 8:30 am (IST) over the same region, near a latitude of 8.3°N and a longitude of 81.0°E. The system is located approximately 40 km southwest of Trincomalee and 100 km northwest of Batticaloa, in Sri Lanka. On the Indian side, the cyclone is located about 320 km south-southeast of Karaikal, 430 km south-southeast of Puducherry, and 530 km south of Chennai.
The Chennai MeT Department said that it is very likely to continue moving north-northwestwards across the Sri Lanka coast & adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal, and reach the southwest Bay of Bengal near North Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts by early morning of November 30.
As Cyclone Ditwah approaches India, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deployed teams across several districts in Tamil Nadu to carry out precautionary measures amid heavy rainfall, following requests from the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry State Disaster Management Authorities.