Cyclone Burevi: IMD issues red alert; NDRF deployed in TN and Kerala

New Delhi, Dec 02: Cyclone Burevi is likely to advance into the Gulf of Mannar early tomorrow morning and cross the coast of south Tamil Nadu, between Kanyakumari and Pamban, on December 4.

This is the second cyclone that is predicted to hit the state in a week. Last week, a very severe cyclonic storm, Nivar, had battered the southern state.

Burevi is unlikely to be as intense as Nivar, IMD director General Mrutunjay Mohapatra said.

It is expected to first hit Sri Lanka on December 2 and then Tamil Nadu on December 4.

The Cyclone Warning Division of the IMD said a deep depression intensified into cyclonic storm "Burevi" on Tuesday evening.

It is very likely to cross the Sri Lanka coast close to Trincomalee during the evening or night of December 2 as a cyclonic storm with a wind speed of 75-85 kilometres per hour gusting to 95 kmph, the IMD's Cyclone Warning Division said.

"It is very likely to move nearly westwards thereafter, emerging into the Gulf of Mannar and adjoining Comorin area on 3rd December morning. It would then move nearly west-southwestwards and cross south Tamil Nadu coast between Kanyakumari and Pamban around early morning of 4th December," it said.

The IMD has issued a red alert for south Tamil Nadu and south Kerala for December 3.

NDRF deployed

The NDRF in a statement has said that its teams are fully equipped with various types of cutting, flood rescue equipment, V-SAT and Satellite communication equipment to undertake post-cyclone restoration and relief operation.

Of the 27 teams, 17 teams of NDRF are being deployed at the coastal regions of Tamil Nadu i.e. Kanyakumari, Tuticorin, Ramanathapuram, Tirunelveli, Nagapattinam, Mayiladurai, Cuddalore, Madurai and Chennai.

One team has been deployed in Puducherry, while 8 teams have been deployed at the coastal districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Alapuzha, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Idukki, Kottayam and Ernakulam.

"Besides the deployment of teams, a 24/7 NDRF control room in Arakkonam (Chennai) and Delhi is closely monitoring the situation round the clock and is in touch with the state administration," a statement from NDRF said.