Police, fire and rescue services, NDRF gear up
for contingencies; several international flights
cancelled or rescheduled at Chennai airport;
cyclone warning in sea ports
Normal life remained disrupted for the fourth
day in many parts of Chennai and coastal
districts following rain and waterlogging on
Wednesday, even as the north coastal regions in
Tamil Nadu braced themselves to face the
forecast of severe rainfall on Thursday.
The India Meteorological Department
announced the weather system has intensified
into a depression and would cross the north
Tamil Nadu coast close to north of Puducherry
by Thursday evening.
The department has issued red alert for eight
districts — Chennai, Tiruvallur, Ranipet, Vellore,
Salem, Kallakurichi, Tirupattur and
Tiruvannamalai
Thursday as extremely heavy rainfall
measuring above 20.4 cm is expected in one or
two places and very heavy to heavy rainfall in a
few places.
Central help
Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, who continued to
inspect the affected areas in Chennai wearing
raincoat and gumboots, said the State would
assess the impact of the rain over the next two
days before reaching out to the Centre for funds.
The heavy rain spell ensured that waterbodies
received copious inflow in many parts.
The combined storage of reservoirs in the
State was 199.165 tmcft. — around 89% of the
capacity of 90 reservoirs.