Flood waters swirl in south India even as rain eases

“I have seen the damage and misery caused by extremely heavy rainfall”, Modi said.

India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, who has blamed climate change for the deluge, travelled to Chennai to get a first-hand view of a rescue effort that has so far been halting.

Jayalalithaa had earlier submitted a memorandum requesting around Rs.8,481 crore towards flood relief and an immediate release of Rs.2,000 crore.

The heaviest rains in a century and the resultant floods have left 269 people dead in Tamil Nadu.

Army teams have been carrying out relief operations at Tambaram, Mudichur, Kothurpuram, Pallavaram, Thiruneermalai, Urapakkam, Manipakkam, T Nagar and Gudvancheri towards the outskirts of Chennai.

The Southern Railway has announced special trains to Tirunelveli, Rameswaram and Howrah from Chennai Beach station.

He said the state Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala had talked to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and requested all support for the safety of Malayalies stranded there.

Calling India a “strong partner” the U.S. has said that it stands ready “to assist the people of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, as well as the Government of India as they face the worst flooding in decades”.

Residents in flood-hit Tamil Nadu awaited relief on Thursday even as army and air force were pressed into service to rescue those affected. Most areas were without power. Modi also met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. The India Meteorological Department has warned of another 1,000mm of rain in the next 48 hours.

According to Singh, 54 people have been killed in neighboring Andhra Pradesh state in rain-related incidents.

Tamil Nadu was also hit by heavy rain last month after a storm made landfall in Cuddalore. The Airport Authority of India said that the airport was likely to be closed until Sunday. A naval air base at Arakkonam, 70km (43 miles) from Chennai, was meant to be used as an alternative airport for relief operations instead.

Jayalalitha, who had a meeting with Modi, said over 41.95 lakh food packets were provided to people and those living in apartments in affected areas were given water bottles and food by helicopters and boats. “We don’t have any milk”, she said, adding that she was searching for a shop selling food, “but I’m scared to walk down this road”. The districts in Tamil Nadu including Tirunelveli, Tiruvallur, Kanchipuram, Tiruvannamalai and Vellore have announced holidays for schools and colleges.