The ancestral house of late DMK chief M Karunanidhi's family at Thirukuvalai village near here has suffered damage in the 'Gaja' cyclone, officials said Tuesday. A tree in front of the house got uprooted and fell on the house damaging the tiled roof and a name board, they said. The house is being maintained as a memorial and a library.

Severe cyclonic storm 'Gaja' crossed between the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coast between Nagapattinam and Vedaranniyam early Friday, with wind speed gusting up to 120 km per-hour, a weather bulletin said. According to Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority, as-many-as 76,290 people were evacuated from low lying areas and sheltered at over 300 relief centres in six districts including Nagapattinam, Pudukottai, Ramanathapuram and Tiruvarur.