A Ganesh Nadar/Rediff.com from Chennai reports on Cyclone Vardah which is expected to make landfall this afternoon in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.


High-speed wind and rain have kept citizens indoor in Perumbakkam on the outskirts of Chennai. Reports of trees being uprooted at the Pallikarnai marshland.


The state electricity board has said that they are shutting down power in some areas to prevent accidents. Valsarvakkam, a crowded suburb of Chennai, has been without power since last night. Flooding is expected in this low lying area as well.

There is no power in Porur, a suburb in Chennai from where the Bengaluru highway begins. The power went off in the morning said a resident. Reports of waterlogging is some parts in the area.


The good news is that power has been restored at Kottivakkam and yes, buses have been plying as usual.


The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Director-general R.K. Pachnanda said that their teams have been positioned at all the major locations and was closely monitoring the situation to provide immediate, effective and specialized response.

For Tamil Nadu, Pachnanda said that three teams have been placed in Chennai, two in Kanchipuram, two in Tiruvallur and one is on its way to Puducherry. Apart from that sufficient standby team are reserves at Arakkonam. The Tamil Nadu Met department says heavy rains are expected with windspeeds of 90kmph. The NDRF has deployed a total of six teams in Andhra Pradesh, eight teams in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.


"We closely in touch with state Government authorities and with other agencies like IMD, so that we have immediate, effective and specialized response," he said.

Puducherry has geared up its official machinery to face the threat of cyclone Vardah, as the state government has declared holiday for all schools and colleges in Puducherry and Karaikal regions in anticipation of heavy rains and wind.

Though it did not rain last night, the sky is cloudy and Port authorities have advised fishermen not to venture into sea as it remains rough.

With inputs from ANI.


File picture of the December 2015 floods in Tamil Nadu.