The pace of the 'very severe' cyclonic storm heading towards South Tamil Nadu coast slowed down on Wednesday and it appears to have changed its course a little bit even as authorities evacuated hundreds of fishermen and their families from low-lying areas fearing high tide.
The storm lay centred 100 km east south-east off Tuticorin on the South Tamil Nadu Coast at 3.30 pm on Wednesday, and the Met office in Chennai said that it was expected to cross the coast only on Wednesday night between Tuticorin and Kanyakumari. Area Cyclone Warning Centre Director S K Subramaniam said that the cyclonic storm's movement was 'sluggish' and it was moving in a westerly direction towards the coast. Earlier reports had said that the point of the cyclone's lashing the coast might be between Tuticorin and Pamban, a coastal town north of Tuticorin. But it now appears to have changed course a bit as the predicted point may now be south of Tuticorin, according to Met office sources. Under the influence of the storm, heavy rainfall and gale with wind speed upto 140 to 160kmph were expected off Ramanathapuram, Tirunelveli, Kanyakumari and Tuticorin districts during the next 12 hours or so, the Centre's 3:30 pm bulletin said. The point where the cyclone lashes the coast would witness a 'storm surge' rising 1.50 metres above normal astronomical tide, leading to inundation of low-lying areas, it said. Reports reaching in Chennai said that hundreds of families of fishermen had been shifted due to fear of inundation. Good rainfall was recorded at places like Pamban (12 cm), Thiruthuraipoondi (10) and Papanasam (9). Bureau Report