Palaniswami announced Rs 10 lakh each to the families of the victims.
The cyclone had crossed the coast between Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on Thursday morning, but spared the state of very large scale destruction as witnessed during the Gaja cyclone two years ago that crossed the coast between Nagapattinam and Vedaranyam in the south.
Apart from uprooting 2,064 trees in the affected districts, including Chennai, Cuddalore, Chengalpattu, Vellore and Nagapattinam, it caused damage to about 108 power transformers and over 2,927 electric poles, Palaniswami said in a statement.
The work to clear the fallen trees and restore the transformers was being taken up on a war-footing, he said. “The state government swung into action immediately after receiving an alert about the cyclone from the Indian Meteorological Department. Strict measures were put in place to prevent casualties due to the cyclone. However, I am very saddened to learn that four persons have lost their lives due to the unexpected cyclone and heavy rain,” he said.
Palaniswami expressed his deepest condolences to the victims’ families and said he has ordered financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh each — Rs four lakh from the State Disaster Relief Fund and Rs six lakh from the Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund.
Also, he announced compensation for the loss of 61 cows, five bulls, 65 calves and 114 goats in the storm to cattle owners, ranging between Rs 3,000 and Rs 30,000. About 302 huts and 38 tiled houses were completely damaged and 1,439 huts and 161 tiled houses suffered partial damage.
Appropriate assistance would be provided to the people whose houses were damaged due to the cyclone, he said. Asserting that prompt measures averted a major catastrophe, Palaniswami said people living in low-lying areas were evacuated to safety and lodged in relief camps. They were provided food, water, mats and blankets.