CUDDALORE/PUDUCHERRY: The much-dreaded ‘Cyclone Thane’ crossed the coast between Cuddalore and Puducherry around 6.30 am on Friday with wind speeds of 120 km per hour, leaving a trail of destruction and taking a toll of at least 28 lives, uprooting lakhs of trees and damaging roads, fishing boats and houses, besides snapping electricity and communication lines, thus disrupting normal life.
Measures to provide relief to the victims and for restoration of power were hit by heavy rains and squally weather that prevailed even after the cyclone crossed the coast in Cuddalore and Puducherry, which remained without power through the day. Even the generators that supplied power to some offices and business establishments ran out of fuel within hours. As petrol stations went dry with no electricity to operate the pumps, people could not find diesel to power the generators that had to be switched on since around 2 am when the weather turned squally.
Cuddalore was completely cut-off as uprooted trees blocked roads, obstructing movement of vehicles. Passengers were stuck at the bus terminus and struggled to get food as all restaurants were closed. The lone sweetmeat shop, Agarwal Sweets, that did business saw a huge crowd subsisting on savouries and bakery products.
Industries situated in the SIPCOT Industrial estate suffered damage due to the onslaught of the cyclone, which did not spare cattle and birds. Carcass of birds and crows were seen littered all over Cuddalore and neighbouring areas.
For people of Devanampattinam and Thazanguda, as a fisherman put it: “This was the worst catastrophe after the 2004 tsunami.” He said, “Boats got piled up one over the other and the fishing nets got entangled so badly that we could not salvage them. Many boat engines were also damaged.”
People evacuated from the coastal villages and lodged in shelters, set up in schools and community centres, had to go without food due to lack of facilities for cooking.
In Nellikuppam, many huts and houses were damaged — roofs being blown away by the gusty winds was a common sight� — and the people took refuge in the bus stand complex.
In Puducherry, milk was available only around 2 pm with the cyclone virtually turning the town upside down, hitting normal life. Trees, traffic signal poles, lampposts and hoardings were found strewn on roads, making vehicular traffic flow a near impossibility.
The town, which is a favourite rendezvous for people from Chennai and elsewhere for ushering in the New Year, looked ravaged and power was expected to be restored only by Saturday.
In Neyveli Lignite Corporation township, two lakh trees were reported to have been uprooted. Power generation was cut drastically from 2,200 MW to 80 MW after feeder lines were severed.
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