At least three people have died in Tamil Nadu as Cyclone Nivar made overnight landfall near the costal town of Marakkanam, 30 km north of Puducherry. The cyclone, hours after landfall has weakened from a ‘very severe cyclonic storm’ to a ‘severe cyclonic storm’.

The storm originated in Bay of Bengal, forced authorities in the southern states to declare a public holiday till Thursday.As a precautionary measure, the government has evacuated more than two lakh people to safety in the costal areas.

The damage assessment due to the cyclone is on and the state governments say they have been working on “war-footing” amid heavy rainfall and flooding in many parts.

Parts of Puducherry and Tamil Nadu have witnessed heavy rainfalls through the night. Other southern states Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana are also likely to receive heavy rainfalls.

The Union Territory of Puducherry saw an unprecedented rainfall of 20 cm in the last 20 hours, Chief Minister V Narayanasamy said.

The Tamil Nadu government has declared a public holiday and only essential services are expected to remain operational. The Chennai Airport has also resumed its operation at 9 a.m. and the metro is also set to resume on Thursday afternoon.

Tamil Nadu chief minister E Palaniswami has appealed to people to remain indoors. He said that over 4,000 ‘vulnerable’ locations had been identified and local officials have been told to ensure the saftey of people.

Around 1,200 National Disaster Response Force personnel have been stationed in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. Twelve teams are in Tamil Nadu which includes six in Cuddalore district and two in Chennai, seven in Andhra Pradesh and three in Puducherry. An additional 20 teams will be on standby in Odisha’s Cuttack, Vijaywada in Andhra Pradesh and Thrissur in Kerala, said NDRF chief SN Pradhan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday spoke to chief ministers of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. PM Modi tweeted, “Spoke to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Shri Edappadi K Palaniswami and Puducherry Chief Minister Shri V Narayanasamy regarding the situation in the wake of Cyclone Nivar. Assured all possible support from the Centre. I pray for the safety and well-being of those living in the affected areas.”