VELLORE: The Vellore district administration is fully prepared to face heavy rains expected on Sunday due to the passing of Cyclone Ditwah, said Collector VR Subbulaxmi. "All precautionary measures have been taken to handle the heavy rain situation," she said after visiting a Nalam Kakkum Stalin camp at the Government Boys Higher Secondary School in Katpadi's Brahmapuram on Saturday.
The collector said that all the departments have been brought together to handle the situation and added a team of 30 NDRF personnel are on standby.
Subbulaxmi said that 90% of the 40 major lakes in Vellore have reached full capacity. "The district administration is continuously monitoring these lakes," she said. Across Vellore, 500 sandbags have been collected and kept ready to be used wherever needed, as per the details shared by the district administration.
Subbulaxmi added that 36 schools and marriage halls in Vellore have been kept ready as relief shelters. "In corporation limits, the areas previously affected by rains have been identified. The number of families and houses in those vulnerable zones has been recorded. Arrangements have been made to temporarily accommodate the public in five schools and facilities to prepare food have also been organised," she said.
Monitoring Officer of Vellore S Uma also inspected various locations including the monsoon control room at collectorate, Aavin dairy, consumer goods storage warehouse, Adukkamparai government hospital, Kaniyambadi panchayat union office, Thorapadi lake, Penathur town panchayat and the Vellore Fire and Rescue Station to review cyclone preparedness and safety measures.