CHENNAI: Cuddalore district has been receiving incessant and heavy rainfalls for the last three days due to the impact of cyclone Burevi. Two deaths due to separate incidents of wall collapse were reported in which a 55–year-old Periyakattupalayam woman and a 10-year-old girl in Panruti died on Friday.
Official sources said between 8 am on Thursday and 8:30 am on Friday, the Cuddalore district had received an average rainfall of 177.42 mm. Chidambaram received the highest rainfall of 340 mm, followed by Kothavacherry (335 mm) and Annamalai Nagar (329.4 mm), Lalpet (295 mm) and Parangipettai (264.2 mm).
In Chidambaram, the water bodies within the municipality limit started flooding the roads after reaching its maximum capacity. Nearly 43 years later, Thillai Nataraja Temple in Chidambaram came under the water on Friday. Water from the Sivagnagi pond flooded inside the temple as the nearby drain was closed by the municipality.
The Dikshitars at the temple had requested the municipality to remove the drain plug. The temple was flooded in 1977 due to heavy rainfall.
Transportation has been suspended in Chidambaram, salem-Chidambaram route and Vikravandi enroute Thanjavur, as per report from official sources.
Evacuation is under full swing by the district police and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF). All the 441 cyclone shelters have been reopened after cyclone Nivar. Collector Chandra Sekhar Sakhamuri has ordered to reopen 200 more shelters in case of need, added sources.
The collector said: "All the planning made for the Nivar cyclone will be implemented. The police teams, volunteers, and 19 interdepartmental zonal teams are on the ground to take up swift action.”