Cyclone Nivar had made landfall on the wee hours of Thursday in the northern coastal districts of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. While it was predicted that Nivar, which turned into a very severe cyclonic storm prior to landfall, would bring up the wind speed between the range of 140-150 kmph, the state had witnessed low wind speeds during the landfall, which had reduced large-scale damages and let the state government carry out the relief works without having larger disruptions. 

According to the Tamil Nadu government, a total of three lives were lost and about a hundred houses were damaged due to the cyclone and heavy rainfall triggered by the storm. The low intensity and velocity of wind had prevented larger damages along with the precautionary measures taken by the government. Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami had taken stock of the damages and situation in the coastal district of Cuddalore, which recorded more damages. 

Addressing the reporters, the Chief Minister said that the government's precautionary measures had reduced loss of life and damage to property. He told that he had ordered the district administration to review the affected areas and provide essentials to the affected people. The Chief Minister had said that Minister for Revenue and Disaster Management RB Udhayakumar had stationed at the state control room during the course of the landfall and he monitored the situation. 

The government had said that the lessons learned from the past (during the 2015 floods, Cyclones Gaja and Vardha) had helped the state government in addressing to meet the damages and evacuate people from the vulnerable areas. Speaking to IANS, Gagandeep Singh Bedi IAS, who was appointed as the nodal officer of the Nivar-related works for Cuddalore district said that the lessons learned from the past had guided the government in saving lives and reducing more damages. 

The government stated that about 300 trees were uprooted by Nivar and a 34-acre banana plantation in Cuddalore was damaged. Besides Cuddalore, the cyclone had also damaged dozens of houses and power lines in Marakkanam in the Villupuram district, and Puducherry. The government had stated that 26 cattle had died due to the cyclone and nearly 1,600 hectares of paddy were also damaged. 

The bureaucrat said the government has created a lot of awareness about Nivar and the precautionary measures. The government has installed hundreds of relief camps in vulnerable areas. The affected people were evacuated and shifted to the relief camps and they were provided with adequate quantities of the ration with the view of ensuring that the people won't exit the relief camps. 

Bedi stated that around 2.27 lakh people were camped in the temporary shelters in the state and over 50,000 people were shifted to the relief camps in Cuddalore. The government has informed the fishermen in advance and their boats were secured to avoid further damage. The IAS officer added that the state control room had functioned round the clock without taking a break to get and forward the messages and information to the concerned departments. 

The government has deployed chief engineers and mechanisms to review and restore the power supply in the damaged and disrupted areas. The Chief Minister had further chaired a review meeting on November 23 and initiated the precautionary measures and alerted the district administrations to take relief efforts to tackle the cyclone. The government has also released excess water from Chembarambakkam lake to avoid floods and ensured that people living on the banks of the Adyar river are evacuated and sheltered in the relief camps.