The cyclone, packing winds of around 120kmph, hit land near Chennai on Monday afternoon.
It weakened into a “low pressure area” but was still bringing heavy rains as it moved inland, according to the Indian Meteorological Department.
Vardah forced the evacuation of around 17,000 people, uprooted trees, flattened homes, and large areas in Tamil Nadu and its capital Chennai were without power for several hours.
Collapsing houses and trees in four affected districts killed 12, officials at the disaster control room said.
Two more deaths were confirmed in the neighbouring state of Andhra Pradesh, officials said.
Chennai, India’s fourth largest city, bore the brunt of the storm and hundreds of workers were clearing roads blocked by trees, electricity poles and debris including billboards and banners, state disaster management chief K Satyagopal said.
“It is as if we are in the midst of a forest,” said A Viswanath, a businessman surveying the fallen trees near his house.
In a statement issued on Monday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam said over 4,000 trees fell.
Around 200 students of the Ramakrishna Mission Home actively lent a helping hand to the residents of various localities by clearing the uprooted trees.
At the spot where former chief minister J Jayalalithaa was buried at the Marina beach, the canopy remained intact despite the strong winds.
Several sand bags were lined up surrounding the burial spot to prevent flooding.
The burial place continued to get stream of visitors from early morning. Offices and educational institutions remained closed for the second day yesterday.
Flight operations resumed in Chennai and power was restored to most parts.
Television footage from Chennai, where huge floods last year killed at least 250 people, showed cars overturned by the strong winds and heavy rain.
The city is a centre for auto manufacturing and IT outsourcing.
It is also scheduled to host the fifth Test match between England and India starting Friday, now in doubt after the storm.
Team India said no decision had yet been taken about moving the Test.
Meanwhile, the cyclone has affected power generation at North Chennai Thermal Power Station’s (NCTPS) 600 MW Unit 1, the Power System Operation Corp Ltd (POSOCO) said.
According to POSOCO, two other units of NCTPS (one 600 MW and the other 210 MW) went out of operation on Monday.
The expected date of resumption of generation by the three units is not known, POSOCO said.
Similarly, the two 220 MW units at Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS), too, stopped operating on Monday evening due to tripping of power evacuation lines, POSOCO said.
According to POSOCO, the NCTPS Unit 1 was hand tripped due to heavy winds on Monday morning while the second 600 MW unit stopped due to electrical problem.
The reason for stoppage of 210 MW unit at NCTPS is awaited, POSOCO added.
Meanwhile, restoration of power supply in Chennai, Kanchipuram and Thiruvallur districts is likely to take a day or two officials said.
