Cyclone Michaung: 20 dead in Chennai; schools, colleges shut
Heavy rainfall triggered by Cyclone Michaung has flooded Chennai and resulted in at least 20 deaths. All schools and colleges in Chennai district have been closed for Friday as rain affected relief works. Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted a fresh spell of showers over south Peninsular India on Friday and Saturday with isolated heavy rainfall. Most train services in Chennai were resumed as operations were restored at two major terminals in the city.
Why does this story matter?
Cyclone Michaung is the Bay of Bengal's second cyclonic storm within a month. It intensified into a cyclonic storm earlier this week and weakened into a deep depression after hitting coastal Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday. It is likely to dissipate with further northward movement. The coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry have been witnessing heavy downpours with thunderstorms due to the cyclone. However, Chennai has been affected the worst, bringing back memories of the 2015 Chennai floods.
9,000 officials deployed for relief works
Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary Shiv Das Meena announced that 9,000 officials from other districts have been deployed for relief work in Chennai. Meena said, "Work on water stagnation at 343 places is underway. Food packets are being distributed in the flood-affected areas." The adverse weather brought down over 1,400 trees in Chennai over the last few days, of which 243 remain to be cleared. Residents are struggling to access basic services due to widespread power outages.
Moderate, isolated heavy rainfall expected over Coimbatore districts
The weather agency has also predicted light to moderate rainfall at some places, with isolated thunderstorms and lightning over Kerala and Mahe during the next five days and over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal, and Lakshadweep during the next three days. Heavy downpours are likely in isolated places over Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Tirupur, Dindigul, Theni, Chennai, Virudhunagar, Sivaganga, Pudukkottai, and Thanjavur districts. Southern Railway said services will be fully functional starting Friday, except for a few changes in the pattern of services.
Loss of property and livelihoods
Prasanna Sakthivel, a small businesswoman, shared that her family's life savings were ruined when their properties, including equipment, clothes, documents, a car, and two delivery vehicles worth Rs. 7 lakh, were destroyed in the floods. She told NDTV, "This would take another four years for us to overcome this economic setback." Many residents feel they were left to fend for themselves during the crisis. The government's response to the floods has been criticized by residents.
Centre releases Rs. 450 crore for Tamil Nadu
The Centre released its share of the second installment of the State Disaster Response Fund of Rs. 450 crore to Tamil Nadu and Rs. 493.60 crore to Andhra Pradesh in advance on Thursday. It also approved the first urban flood mitigation project of Rs. 561.29 crore for Chennai under the National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF). The Tamil Nadu IAS Officers' Association contributed a day's salary of staff members to the Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund for relief work.
