The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) chief said Cyclone Nivar is expected to make a landfall between Mamallapuram and Karaikal near Puducherry and Tamil Nadu after 2-3 am tomorrow.
"As per reports last received, the cyclone may make a landfall a little later than earlier predicted and it could be after 2-3 am on Thursday or on November 26," S N Pradhan, the director general of the federal disaster response force, said in a recorded audio-visual message.
Over one lakh people have been evacuated from the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry as the cyclone has been classified as a very severe cyclonic storm.
The cyclonic speed is expected to be in the range of 130-145 kms per hour with very strong winds.
In view of the extreme severity, 30 teams have been deployed in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Andhra Pradesh, and twenty teams are on standby at Vijaywada (Andhra Pradesh), Cuttack (Odisha) and Thrissur (Kerala).
