THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The depression formed over the south Bay of Bengal will intensify into a deep depression in the next 12 hours and then a cyclonic storm by Tuesday night. The storm, after crossing the Sri Lankan coast, is expected to reach Kanyakumari by Thursday morning. The exact path of the storm would be known by Tuesday.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has sounded a red alert in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha in Kerala and southern districts of Tamil Nadu on Thursday, warning of extreme heavy rainfall due to the effect of the weather system.
An orange alert has been sounded in Kottayam, Idukki and Ernakulam districts, warning of very heavy rainfall. The IMD has also sounded an orange alert in four southern districts on Wednesday and Friday. The wind speed would be around 45-65 km per hour gusting to 75 km/hour over Comorin area, Gulf of Mannar and south Tamil Nadu- Kerala coasts from Wednesday forenoon for the subsequent 24 hours.
Kerala has suspended all fishing activities along its coast and asked all the fishing vessels that ventured into the sea to reach near safe shores before Monday midnight. The depression over the southeast Bay of Bengal lay centred about 710 km eastsoutheast of Trincomalee (Sri Lanka) and 1,120 km east-southeast of Kanyakumari on Monday. It is very likely to intensify further into a deep depression during the next 12 hours and into a cyclonic storm during the subsequent 24 hours.
Services of Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force sought
T’Puram: The state government has sought the service of Navy and Coast Guard in the wake of cyclone alert along the coast of Kerala. The Navy and Coast Guard were told to anchor their ships in the sea around 30 nautical miles off the coast to carry out rescue operations in case of emergency. The Air Force has been requested provide helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft. The state government will seek seven more teams of National Disaster Response Fund, said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Control rooms have been set up in district and taluk levels. KSEB has been directed to deploy an expert team to carry out repair and restoration works.