Heavy rain hit parts of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, causing disruptions in the region, authorities continue to gear up for a cyclonic storm.
On November 26, the IMD issued a confirmation that a depression over the Bay of Bengal had intensified into a deep depression and is expected to further strengthen into a cyclonic storm by November 27.
As the rain increased, waterlogging was reported in many areas across Chennai, especially in OMR Road, while snarls on roads were the new order of the day and night.
Other districts that suffered at the hands of torrential rains included Chengalpattu, Kanchipuram, Tiruvallur, Cuddalore, and the Cauvery Delta regions, which include Nagapattinam.
’Red Alert’
The IMD has sounded a red alert for districts in Tamil Nadu’s Mayiladuthurai, Karaikal, Tiruvarur, and Nagapattinam for November 26, forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall. They are expected to continue the same until November 29 for many places and extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places.
As a pre-storm preparedness, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M.K. Stalin held a high-level meeting with officials and reviewed the present preparedness of the state.
NDRF Deployed
Seven teams of National Disaster Response Force, which consists of two dog squads, were deployed across the affected areas. The teams are meant to evacuate and search for rescues in Karaikal, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, and Mayiladuthurai. State Disaster Response Force also remains on standby.
School, Colleges Shut
Authorities have also announced school and college holidays in several districts, including Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, and Tiruvarur, as a precautionary measure. In Puducherry, a holiday was declared for all government and private schools on November 27.
To ensure that essential services continue, state-run dairy supplier Aavin announced that its parlours in Chennai would remain open 24/7 to maintain the milk supply.
The IMD is continuing to track the situation closely as it predicts the depression may head north-northwestwards, possibly even brushing past the Sri Lankan coast and then making a landfall along the Tamil Nadu coast.
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