The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert in several coastal districts of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, as well as Puducherry, as Cyclone Ditwa is moving steadily towards the Indian coast.
As per the latest bulletin of the weather office, the cyclonic storm is very likely to reach over the southwest Bay of Bengal near North Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts by Sunday morning.
Heavy to very heavy rainfall is predicted at several places, with extremely heavy rain at isolated locations across Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, Villuppuram, Chengalpattu, and Puducherry-Karaikal areas.
Other districts, including Thanjavur, Tiruchirappalli, Chennai, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur, and Ranipet, are also likely to witness heavy rainfall.
The IMD has advised citizens to remain indoors and follow the local administration's instructions. Fishermen have been warned against venturing into the sea.
28 disaster response teams on standby
Revenue and Disaster Management Minister KKSSR Ramachandran said that 28 disaster response teams, including SDRF and NDRF teams, are on standby.
He said it was not yet clear if the cyclone would hit the coast near Chennai, but the state government is fully prepared to launch rescue and relief operations on a war footing.
Meanwhile, several coastal districts of Tamil Nadu have already been receiving heavy rains, with Ramanathapuram and Nagapattinam districts bearing the brunt.
In Vedaranyam, heavy rainfall inundated several areas and severely impacted salt production, with about 9,000 acres of salt pans getting affected.
As many as 6,000 relief camps have been established across the coastal districts.