Cyclone Nivar: Around 9, 000 persons evacuated in Vellore region, Tiruvannamalai

Tamil Nadu Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Sevoor S Ramachandran and district collector Sandeep Nanduri inspected the arrangements at relief centres.

Tamil Nadu HR&CE Minister Sevoor S Ramachandran distributing food to evacuees at a temporary shelter in Kalasapakkam. (Photo| EPS)

VELLORE: The district administrations in Vellore region and Tiruvannamalai have evacuated close to 9,000 persons from their houses ahead of the landfall of cyclone Nivar, officials said.

Tiruvannamalai accounted for the highest number of evacuations-4,870 persons belonging to 1,542 families. Of them, 1,218 are children and 621 women. They have been accommodated at 171 temporary shelters.

Tamil Nadu Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Sevoor S Ramachandran and district collector Sandeep Nanduri inspected the arrangements at relief centres in Thurinjapuram and Kalasapakkm blocks on Wednesday.

“We have taken all the necessary measures for handling the situation. People residing in vulnerable areas have been moved to relief centres. Food, water and face masks were given to them,” Ramachandran stated.

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The Minister also interacted with the people accommodated at the relief centres to know the basic amenities made available for them.

Kalasapakkam MLA V Panneerselvam, project director (PD) of District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) P Jayasudha and Aavin district chairman Agri SS Krishnamoorthy also accompanied the Minister during the inspection.

In Ranipet, as many as 3,912 persons residing at vulnerable areas and weak houses were evacuated safely to relief centres. District collector AR Gladstone Pushparaj visited these shelters to take stock of the situation.

The evacuated persons are being accommodated at 125 relief centres, officials said.

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In Vellore, 209 persons were moved to relief centres and were being provided with food and other materials, according to district collector A Shanmuga Sundaram.

He visited various places in the district to inspect the arrangements being made to mitigate the woes of the people due to the cyclone.

Tirupathur district collector MP Sivanarul inspected temporary shelters set up various places including Ambur. Officials said that 16 shelters were established across the district and evacuations were being made in the evening in view of the alert on gusty winds and torrential showers.