Chennai floods: NDRF shifts focus to relief work, over 16000 rescued

“Speaking with regards to Ford’s temporary hiatus in operations, a spokesperson stated”, For the safety of our employees, we have halted production at our Chennai assembly and engine plants on Wednesday. Drinking water was in short supply and so were basic essentials including milk and vegetables.

However, as the problem of water logging persists, the rescue teams are reaching out to the marooned areas including those that were not so far not reached.

Indian environment experts attending the Paris climate change summit have already said that the rains in the city were an outcome of the ever warming planet.

He spoke too soon.

Especially in Adyar and Kumbh rivers, there is a sharp fall in the water levels, which helped to perform several rescue operations. Other Chennai citizens in safer areas offered their homes and to distribute food on Twitter.

Chennai painstakingly tried to restore normalcy as the torrential rains slowed down to light showers, leaving a window open for rescue and relief works to be stepped up.

The Southern Railway has announced special trains to Tirunelveli, Rameswaram and Howrah from Chennai Beach station in a bid to clear the large number of train travellers who have got stranded in the city.

The Chennai Metro line continued to witness enhanced patronage in the wake of suspension of bus and rail transport.

The top bureaucrat of the government also directed authorities that adequate supply of petroleum products at terminals and retail outlets may be ensured in Tamil Nadu.

Emotional images of dramatic rescues in inflatable boats and civilians hoisting people over muddy flood waters have been posted on social media under the hashtag #Chennaifloods. The heaviest rainfall in more than 100 years has devastated swathes of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, with thousands forced to leave their submerged… Both Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalithaa and Indian PM Narendra Modi have made aerial visits to the flood-affected areas.

Modi also announced Rs.1,000 crore relief to Tamil Nadu for flood relief operations in the state.

Speaking in parliament, Interior Minister Rajnath Singh described the situation as an “unprecedented calamity”.