Rain fury raises flood alarm in TN

Incessant rain disrupted normal life in Tamil Nadu since Sunday night, even as the Met Department predicted more thundershowers for the next three days.

The downpour has claimed six lives so far, with the Northeast monsoon set to intensify further and bring rains over the few remaining dry districts and the neighbouring Union territory of Puducherry.

Area Cyclone Warning Centre Director Balachandran told reporters here that there would be heavy rains in north Coastal districts of Tamil Nadu and at some places in South Coastal districts like Tuticorin, Tirunelveli, Kanniyakumari and Ramanathapuram in the next 48 hours.

"Under this influence, heavy to very heavy rain is likely to occur over Chennai, Thiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Villupuram, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur,
Pudukottai and Ramanathapuram districts during the next two days," a senior met official said on Tuesday night.

A senior airport official said flight services were normal in the afternoon, except for some delays in take-offs and landings.

The suburban rail network connecting several of Chennai's neighbourhoods functioned slowly as tracks were inundated at several places.

Nagapattinam district recorded maximum rainfall of 310 mm during the last 24 hours followed by Cuddalore district, which registered 260 mm downpour during the same
period.

Meanwhile, two college students died of lightning strike at Anakaputhur, while an elderly woman drowned in Otteri in north Chennai. Chennai Corporation officials rushed to the inundated areas and drained out stagnant water using pumps.

The revenue department has set up 120 multipurpose evacuation shelters (MES) that can accommodate more than 2,000 people at a cost of Rs 345 crore.

Authorities have also identified 3,172 relief centres to shift stranded people during disaster for the area of vulnerability.

Oil companies have been advised to stock up adequate fuel for emergency. They could approach the police and highway authorities if they have problems in moving fuel.

Mobile operators have been asked to make backup arrangements and deploy additional service personnel to ensure uninterrupted communication and to restore connectivity.

Residents in Chennai have also been bracing for the floods as they stock up food and battery backups for charging mobile phones and inverters.