Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu Coasts Battered By Heavy Rains As Cyclone Michaung Makes Landfall

At least five people have been killed in rain-related mishaps in Chennai as Tamil Nadu and Andhra have been battered by severe Cyclone Michaung, which made landfall between Nellore and Machilipatnam on Tuesday morning.

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What is happening in Chennai?

In Tamil Nadu, Chennai is among the worst hit by the rains that caused massive waterlogging in many parts of the city.

On Monday night, authorities in Chennai said five people had died in the rains that caused trees to topple and walls to collapse, and submerged roads and cars in knee-deep waters.

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Residents in some parts of Chennai reported no rain since the early hours of Tuesday and mentioned that power services had been restored in those areas.

Crazy morning! #CycloneMichuang in #chennai, Uber couldn¡¯t reach our apartments due to flooding, missed flight to Mumbai & then when returning home - had a power cut - so stuck in elevator for half an hour before being rescued by society people. ? #ChennaiRains #ChennaiFloods pic.twitter.com/I1yu3BRt7N

¡ª Suryanarayan Ganesh (@gsurya) December 3, 2023

Videos posted online showed flooding inside the Chennai airport.

VIDEO | Runway at Chennai Airport inundated amid incessant rainfall in the city, triggered by Cyclone Michaung.

(Full video available on PTI - https://t.co/n147TvqRQz) pic.twitter.com/IVWD5WK4bM

¡ª Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 4, 2023

How Indian Railways prepared for cyclone

Train services to and from the city have also remained suspended.

The Indian Railways, as part of its preparedness for cyclone-related disaster management, has set up an emergency control cell at the divisional/HQ level with officers from operating, commercial, engineering, electrical, signal/telecommunications, security, etc. branches in each shift to monitor around the clock and take necessary action in connection with train operations.

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The war room at the board level has also been activated, and all locations are being monitored around the clock. Safety counsellors on each shift are also nominated to assist with emergency control.

What IMD predicted

The latest bulletin from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) states that coastal Andhra Pradesh will also continue to receive light to moderate rainfall in most places. Heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected in a few places, with extremely heavy falls at isolated places over coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam on Tuesday. Additionally, exceptionally heavy rainfall at one or two places is likely over north-coastal and adjoining south-coastal Andhra Pradesh on December 5.

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Which are the most affected areas in Andhra

In Andhra Pradesh, the state government had issued an alert for eight districts -- Tirupati, Nellore, Prakasam, Bapatla, Krishna, West Godavari, Konaseema and Kakinada in view of the heavy rain lashing Andhra Pradesh under the influence of the severe cyclonic storm.

In a review meeting at his camp office, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had on Monday directed officials to treat the storm as a major challenge to avoid loss of life and property as the winds are expected to blow gales reaching speeds of up to 110 kilometres per hour.

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"Special officers have been appointed for all cyclone-affected districts, besides releasing Rs 2 crore each for rescue and relief works. The special officers will work in close coordination with the collectors and, if more funds are needed, the government will comply with the request," Reddy said in a release.

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