Cyclone Gaja claims 45 lives, 2.5 lakh evacuated in TN

Cyclone Gaja, which made landfall near Vedaranyam in Nagapattinam in the wee hours of November 16, has claimed left 45 lives across the state, according to a statement released by the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on Sunday. The cyclone, which went on to affect many other districts, including Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Pudukkottai, Dindigul and Trichy, created a huge loss of property.

The CM had earlier announced a relief of Rs 10 lakh as solatium to the families of the people who lost their lives in the cyclone. The government of Tamil Nadu has also announced Rs 1 lakh to those who suffered serious injuries and Rs 25,000 for those who suffered normal injuries in the disaster.

According to the Times of India, four people were buried alive in Kodaikanal after the shelter in which they were sleeping crumbled due to a landslide due to rains of cyclone Gaja.

Here's a list of damages due to the cyclone in Tamil Nadu:

• Around 2,49,083 people have been evacuated and housed in 493 cyclone evacuation shelters across the state.
• The cyclone also left 102 cattle and 633 goats dead all over Tamil Nadu. As a relief amount, the government will provide Rs 30,000 per cattle and Rs 3,000 per goat that died.
• 56,942 thatched houses were completely destroyed and 30,404 thatched houses were partially destroyed in the cyclone. 30,828 houses with roof tiles were also damaged in the cyclone. Appropriate relief amount will be given to those who have lost their houses to Cyclone Gaja.
• Numerous crops have been destroyed by the gale winds of the cyclone, causing irreparable loss of livelihood to the farmers. The government has ordered revenue and agricultural department officials to assess the damages to the crops and will pay relief according to the assessment.
• Senior IAS officers Sunil Paliwal, Amudha and Radhakrishnan have been additionally deputed to Pudukkottai, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam districts to expedite the process of relief work in these areas.
• Cyclone Gaja uprooted 1,70,454 trees across the state, resulting in road blockages and traffic disruption. These trees are being collected and taken away from blocking the roads on a war footing.
• 347 electricity transformers have been destroyed and 3,559 kms of electricity transmission wires have been snapped in the cyclone, thereby cutting the power supply in the affected areas. A total of 12,532 officials from the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board have been deputed on the ground to restore power.
• In order to help people with health issues, 372 medical camps and 1,014 mobile medical units have been set up in the affected regions.