Accompanied by heavy rains and high-velocity winds, Cyclone Vardah pounded Chennai and the coastal districts of north Tamil Nadu on Monday killing four people in the state. The cyclone has caused severe destruction by uprooting trees, damaging houses, disrupting power services, land and air transport and throwing normal life out of gear. Tamil Nadu CM O Panneerselvam said, "Rs 4 lakh each will be given to family members of those who died due to Cyclone Vardah from the state disaster relief fund." Cyclone Vardah: AAI to review situation at Chennai airport at 9 pm The cyclone reportedly killed four people in the state and led to evacuation of thousands of people from low-lying areas. The government deployd 7 NDRF teams and 2 each of SDRF and Army columns, who were conducting the necessary rescue operations. Home Minister, Rajnath Singh, spoke to Tamil Nadu CM O Panneerselvam and enquired about the situation in the aftermath of Cyclone Vardah crossing Chennai and Tiruvallur. The government has issued high red alert. SriLankan Airlines said all its Chennai-bound flights were cancelled till Tuesday morning after authorities issued a red alert due to severe cyclonic storm “Vardah” which made a landfall in Tamil Nadu. The services at the Chennai Airport has been suspended till 9 pm on Monday. Cyclone Vardah: Here are the latest storm pictures and videos from Tamil Nadu and Andhra The storm will cross over in the next few hours, after which it will move westward and is likely to emerge in Arabian sea on December 14. The cyclone will turn into ‘cyclonic storm’ in the next 3-4 hours, said the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Earlier, the cyclone was termed as a very severe cyclone, said IMD. Tamil Nadu, which is receiving heavy rainfall, has been under alert for the last ten days. Schools and colleges in Kanchipuram and Tiruvallur have also been ordered to remain close on Monday. Fishermen were also asked to not venture out into the sea since November 30. The cyclone, which originated in southern Thailand, has claimed about a dozen lives there and is now moving towards India. Earlier, tourists at Andaman and Nicobar islands were stranded there because of sudden change in the weather. They were later rescued by the Indian Navy. Read: Here is all you need to know about cyclone Vardah National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF) DG, RK Pachnanda, has said that they are closely monitoring the situation and teams have been propositioned to act swiftly if any untoward incident takes place. The Tamil Nadu government has said that 7357 people have been evacuated to 54 relief centres safely so far. LIVE UPDATES BELOW
