Chennai: The Cyclone Nivar crossed the sea coast near Puducherry on Wednesday’s late night. The cyclone has weakened from a very severe cyclone storm” to a “severe cyclonic storm” with a wind speed of 100-110 km per hour, gusting up to 120 km per hour, the IMD said in a statement.

More than a lakh people were evacuated from low-lying areas. Nivar has brought with it heavy rain and strong winds and forced authorities to declare a public holiday till Thursday, close the Chennai airport and metro services. Severe cyclonic storm Nivar is further likely to weaken into a “cyclonic storm” in the next few hours. It brought very heavy rainfall in Puducherry (237 mm), Tamil Nadu’s Cuddalore town (237 mm) and state capital Chennai late last night.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palaniswami appealed to people to stay indoors as far as possible and said over 4,000 “vulnerable” locations had been identified and local officials have been told to ensure peoples’ safety.

Tamil Nadu disaster management Minister R. B. Uday Kumar told to the news agency that “Over 1.45 lakh people have been shifted to 1,516 relief camps across the state as a precaution”. The districts of Cuddalore and Nagapattinam, located south of Chennai on the state’s coast, accounted for the most number of evacuations. The Minister, in a late-night statement, said the state is “awaiting information on damages from districts”. “The state government will work on a war-footing,” he added. Government officials in Chennai released water from a major reservoir and cleared fallen trees. Vessels in the city’s port have been moved to sea and port operations will likely remain shut until the cyclone has passed, a senior port official said.

Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayana Swamy told to the media that the union territory anticipates damage to crops, thatched roofs, and old buildings, besides power and communication lines. On Wednesday, Puducherry banned large gatherings and public movement till 6 am Thursday. All non-essential shops and services have been shut; only milk booths, fuel stations, hospitals and pharmacies, and government offices will be allowed to open.

NDRF Chief S.N. Pradhan said to the media that around 1,200 NDRF personnel have been stationed in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and neighbouring Andhra Pradesh as well. Twelve teams are in Tamil Nadu (six in Cuddalore district and two in Chennai), seven in Andhra Pradesh and three in Puducherry. An additional 20 teams will be on standby in Odisha’s Cuttack, Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh and Thrissur in Kerala.

The Indian Navy has said it is closely monitoring the movement of Nivar, and is in constant touch with officials of both Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Governments. Naval ships, aircraft and rescue and diving teams have been kept on standby.