Cyclone Ditwah: Educational Institutions Closed in Chennai and Neighboring Districts as India Provides Relief to Affected Areas

Cyclone Ditwah: Authorities have issued strong advisories for residents to maintain caution and refrain from unnecessary movement.

Chennai:

Educational institutions including schools and colleges across Chennai, Tiruvallur and Kanchipuram districts will not function today as heavy rainfall is anticipated due to Cyclone Ditwah.

District officials made this preventive decision late Monday evening.

Chennai District Collector Roshni Siddharth Jagade officially declared a holiday for all educational institutions on December 2 in response to weather warnings.

Neighboring districts Tiruvallur and Kanchipuram issued comparable directives.

According to officials, the holiday declaration aims to protect students' safety amid forecasts of severe rainfall and potential flooding.

Authorities have strongly advised residents to exercise caution, avoid traveling unless essential, and carefully follow subsequent advisories from the state government and disaster management organizations.

Cyclone Ditawh has already caused three fatalities in Tamil Nadu, according to state Disaster Management Minister K K S S R Ramachandran's Sunday statement.

In Sri Lanka, the death toll has reached 334 as authorities continue addressing rising flood waters in sections of Colombo, the capital, following the devastating cyclone.

On Monday, India dispatched 53 tons of relief supplies to Sri Lanka under Operation Sagar Bandhu as part of emergency assistance following Cyclone Ditwah, which caused extensive damage throughout the island nation.

Rescue missions have been conducted simultaneously. Chetak helicopters from INS Vikrant and Indian Air Force MI-17 helicopters, working jointly with the Sri Lankan Air Force, performed widespread rescue operations, evacuating stranded individuals including pregnant women, infants, and critically injured people. Those rescued comprised citizens from Sri Lanka, India, Germany, Slovenia, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Poland, Belarus, Iran, Australia, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

India initiated Operation Sagar Bandhu on November 28 to provide urgent Search & Rescue and Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief (HADR) support to Sri Lanka in response to the Cyclone.