After Sri Lanka, cyclone Ditwah to hit India's Tamil Nadu coast today

Cyclone Ditwah, which left a trail of devastation across Sri Lanka, is expected to strike India’s southeastern coastline today, meteorological officials warned, as Tamil Nadu braced for intense rainfall and flooding.

India’s weather bureau said the storm is expected to make landfall along the Tamil Nadu coast, with emergency teams on alert for storm surges, further flooding and infrastructure damage as Cyclone Ditwah moves northwestward.

The cyclone, which moved away from Sri Lanka on Saturday, has already triggered widespread disruption in India, with Chennai Airport cancelling more than 50 flights and authorities warning of extremely heavy rain accompanied by strong winds.

Sri Lanka declared a state of emergency after torrential rain measuring up to 300 millimetres, flash floods and landslides killed at least 153 people, while another 191 remain missing.

The Disaster Management Centre reported that more than 20,000 homes had been destroyed and 108,000 people forced into temporary state-run shelters.

Nearly 800,000 others require assistance after being displaced, officials said.

Among the dead were 11 elderly residents of a care home in the Kurunegala district, where sudden flooding swept through the facility on Saturday afternoon.

A third of the country is without electricity or running water due to collapsed power lines and submerged purification plants, and communications networks have also been disrupted.

Authorities in Colombo and surrounding districts issued evacuation orders for communities along the Kelani River as water levels continued to rise, even as rainfall eased in some parts of the island.

The Sri Lankan government has appealed for international aid and requested financial support from expatriate Sri Lankans to help affected communities.