As predicted, cyclone Nilam, hit the coasts of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh in India, and has already claimed the lives of 4 people. More than 100,000 people in the states have been displaced. Just before the storm, an oil tanker with 37 crew members ran aground off Chennai as well. One of the lifeboats was found in the stormy waters, while one of the crew members drowned. Coastguard officers are looking for the six other occupants of the lifeboat.

 Two people in the state of Andhra Pradesh have died after their house collapsed on them, due to heavy rainfall in Nellore. A 46-year-old man also slipped into the sea from a pier and drowned.

Earlier, two deaths were reported from Sri Lanka. Nilam carried maximum winds of 75 kilometers-per-hour after landfall which was weakening. The coastal areas were expected to be flooded up to 1.5 meters due to the storm.

Heavy rains are expected on November 1, 2012, and the fishermen have been asked not to venture into the sea for the second consecutive day. In Chennai, 282 schools have been turned in to relief centers  The officials said that the city’s ports also halted cargo operations and 23 ships have been moved to safer areas.