Chennai Battered by 6 Hours Of Rain; Schools Shut, IT Firms May Too

Asia

Schools and colleges in Chennai and other parts of coastal Tamil Nadu will remain closed today after heavy rain was witnessed in the region since last evening. IT companies have also been advised by the government to remain closed or let people work from their home due to the downpour. The weather office has warned of heavy rain today in coastal Tamil Nadu and intermittent showers in other parts of the state, however, saying that there is no need to panic. Several pockets of the Tamil Nadu capital were water-logged during Thursday evening rush hour.

Here are the top 10 updates on Chennai rain:

Several coastal pockets of Chennai witnessed severe water-logging on Thursday after rains lashed the city for a non-stop five hours following a low pressure on the Bay of Bengal near Sri Lanka.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), last night, tweeted precautions and advisories for people during heavy rain.
Commuters were stranded on the roads due to slow moving traffic on Thursday evening. In the IT Corridor in south Chennai, many auto rickshaws were seen broken down as the water level had risen well above their wheels.
On the Marina Beach Road too, people were seen wading their vehicles through close to knee deep waters. Buses in the city largely stayed off the roads.
The North East monsoon had set in a few days ago and the meteorological office has given a heavy rain warning for coastal Tamil Nadu.
Between 8:30 am yesterday and 1 am today, the Nungambakkam area of the city received 15 cm rain. Corporation Commissioner Dr D Karthikeyan said, "People need not panic. There's good rainfall in areas closer to the sea. All these waters would recede once the rain stops. Waters would drain into the Buckingham canal and the River Cooum".
Chief Minister E Palaniswami's government said it has kept 115 multi-purpose shelters ready in the coastal districts. Local ministers and three senior bureaucrats have been designated for each district to co-ordinate rescue and expedite relief. In Chennai, two ministers have been designated for each zone to expedite relief. More suction pumps are to deployed to clear the water-logging in Chennai.
Schools in Chennai and other coastal towns have been closed since Tuesday.
In 2015, Chennai witnessed its worst floods in over a century in which over 150 people died.
On Tuesday, Tamil Nadu's Municipal Administration Minister SP Velumani compared the monsoon preparedness of his state to that of developed nations. "It rained in Bengaluru recently, earlier it rained in the UK and US and we were told it was flooded everywhere. It shows our action is better than those of developed countries".