Heavy rains flood India’s Chennai

At least 269 people had been killed in the state since heavy rains started in the beginning of November, said India’s Home Minister Rajnath Singh, although no deaths have been reported in the latest deluge.

“Offered all possible help from Union Health Ministry”, the Union Health Minister said in a tweet”.

With air, rail and road connectivity to Chennai disrupted, flights, trains and bus services from Bengaluru were cancelled for the next two days.

Jayalalithaa will conduct an aerial survey of flood affected areas of Chennai, Kanchipuram and Tiruvallu on Thursday.

Shelter for housing 100 needy people has been kept ready at INS Adyar and medical team has been kept on standby for deputing at short notice. Sundeep Kishan said he was sending 5,000 food packets from his house in Chennai.

While it hasn’t rained in Chennai for about 12 hours now, the city’s troubles are far from over.

Likewise, Renault India said operations at the plant in Chennai have been suspended for a day.

Singh said 30 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and seven columns of the army were engaged in relief and rescue work. We are deliberating and may bring down one of the crude units as due to rains there is water-logging outside the refinery.

In suburban areas, flooding was severe with water levels covering ground floors and threatening to enter the first floors of housing apartments. “We are monitoring the situation closely and resumption of operations will depend entirely on the weather improving”, Renault India Operations Country CEO and Managing Director Sumit Sawhney said.

Several parts of Anna Salai were under water. The Tamil Nadu government has announced holiday for schools and colleges while most of all the industrial units and offices too closed. “We are trying not to panic”, said Ramana Goda, who took refuge at a police station after fleeing his home with his family overnight. The airport is due to remain closed until midday on December 6 and 34 aircraft are stranded there, including some belonging to budget carrier SpiceJet Ltd. Over 60 percent of neighborhoods in Chennai are without power.