Tamil Nadu heaves sigh of relief as Laila moved over

Residents of coastal Tamil Nadu heaved a huge sigh of relief on Thursday as cyclone Laila moved over to neighbouring Andhra. However, death toll in the cyclone-related incidents rose to nine as three more deaths were reported.There was hardly any rain in most regions of Tamil Nadu on Thursday. The state had witnessed heavy rains on Tuesday and Wednesday. Though the sky was cloudy till afternoon, it began to clear by late evening. Normal life was restored in most of the areas and all government offices reported regular attendance.A 70-year-old woman died in Madhavaram of Thiruvallur district in north Tamil Nadu adjacent to Chennai when her house collapsed. A seven-year-old boy died when a tiled housed collapsed in Vellithirupur of Erode district. A 45-year-old man was also electrocuted in Vellithirupur when he came in contact with a live wire.Met sources said Bay of Bengal was replete with high tides as Laila changed course repeatedly. Strong gales with wind speeds of 125 km per hour struck many places of south coastal Andhra.Defence minister AK Antony offered “all possible” assistance. The army and the navy were put on high alert.