Cyclone Ditwah: Stalin Calls For Coordination Between Departments

Chennai: Stressing on the importance of coordination between the various government departments and proper planning in carrying out mitigation work during Cyclone Ditwah, Chief Minister M K Stalin urged the common people not to set out of their homes unnecessarily.

Stalin, who chaired a review meeting with top government officials and district collectors on Friday, said in a message on X that 16 teams of the State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF) and 12 teams of National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) had been deployed in the districts that were likely to be affected by Cyclone Ditwah.

During his consultations with the district collectors of 14 districts on the precautionary measures to protect people from the impact of the cyclone and the rains that it could bring, he said that he had given guidelines to follow and urged them to ensure coordination between departments.

As DMK president, Stalin called upon his party leaders, functionaries and cadre to be ready to rush to the rescue and aid of the people during the heavy rains that were expected in the various delta and other districts.

An official statement said that Kanchipuram, Tiruvallur, Chennai, Vellore, Ranipet, Tiruvannamalai, Thanjavur, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Pudukottai, Mayilathurai, Cuddalore, Villupuram, Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi districts were likely to be affected by Cyclone Ditwah that grew out of a deep depression near Sri Lanka coast.

The State government had made all arrangements including the preparations for the setting up of relief camps besides keeping the NDRF and SDRF teams ready to meet any eventuality even as the weather department said that the impact of the storm might be felt on November 30 early morning.

The Chief Minister has also ordered that relief material be kept ready and asked party leaders and functionaries at all levels to ensure that food materials like rice, dhal and oil and drinking water and milk were available in all places.

He had appealed to the party workers to join in the mitigation work launched by the government agencies and also volunteers. He said the State government had held a series of review meetings over the past few days and was prepared to face any eventuality.

A red alert has been issued for most of the coastal districts even as the cyclonic system was positioned over coastal Sri Lanka and adjoining Southwest Bay of Bengal. It is likely to shift towards northern Tamil Nadu during the weekend.