CUDDALORE: Cyclone Thane roared into Cuddalore on Friday morning, killing at least 21 persons, uprooting several thousands of trees and damaging thousands of fishing boats. Fierce winds, combined with heavy rains, began around 3 am and continued till 10.30 am, and in the process, snapped power cables and communication lines.Fishing hamlets along the 57.5 km coast were damaged badly as roofs of many houses were lifted away by strong winds. Mobilephone towers were damaged, leaving users stranded without signals.Uprooted trees blocked all approach roads to Cuddalore town. Within the town, many trees had fallen across on the streets, while thousands of coconut trees were uprooted along the coast.Villages situated on Caper Hills were affected badly as thatched roofs and huts were lifted away by the strong winds. Rough estimates show that banana trees and sugarcane crops in about 20 villages including Vazhisothanaipalayam, Ramapuram, Vellakarai and Keerapalayam had been damaged. In Cuddalore, coconut trees fell on the roofs and compound walls of houses. Plastic water storage tanks atop houses were blown apart, while the high-mast light at the Manjakuppam ground was uprooted from its position.Paddy crops on 1,26,000 acres that were ready for harvest in Chidambaram and Kattumannarkoil areas have been damaged. Fishermen at Devanampattinam said that boats flew in the wind and landed on each other. “We tried to pull out some fishing nets, but in vain. A few of us have lost our nets and boats in the waves. After the tsunami, this cyclone has brought catastrophic damage to our fishing hamlets,” said a fisherman. Boats that were docked along the coastal areas such as Thazanguda, Devanampattium and other fishing hamlets were damaged after hitting each other in the impact of the cyclone. Evacuation centres in the district are full and more people have been sheltered in school buildings and temples. People evacuated from the coastal villages near Cuddalore and lodged in shelters, set up in schools and community centres, had to go without food due to lack of facilities for cooking.At Nellikuppam, huts and houses were damaged and the inhabitants had been taking asylum on the bus stand complex. Trains including the Cholan Express, Kamban Express and Tiruchendur Express via Chidambaram and Cuddalore had been cancelled as trees had fallen on the railway tracks. Efforts on to Restore Power The government has initiated measures to bring water from other districts, including Chennai and Tiruchy, to places affected by the cyclone in the district.At a review meeting late in the evening with Rural Industries Minister, M C Sampath, the steps to augment water supply were discussed. Fire service personnel were deployed for rescue operations along with the National Disaster Department Team.
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