Disaster management team lists precautionary measures as TN braces for heavy rains
Chennai (The Uttam Hindu): The Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management team on Monday instructed District Collectors and the Greater Chennai Corporation to take precautionary measures ahead of the anticipated heavy rains. The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) has forecast heavy to very heavy rains in Tamil Nadu over the next four days, from December 10 to 13.
In a statement, the disaster management team urged all departments to be prepared to handle disasters in line with standard guidelines. The public has been advised to report any unexpected situations to the disaster management authorities immediately. The RMC has issued an Orange Alert for coastal districts on Tuesday, December 10, warning of heavy to very heavy rains due to a low-pressure area over the sea that is expected to intensify in the coming hours.
Under this weather system, districts such as Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Cuddalore, and Kancheepuram are likely to experience heavy to very heavy rainfall on December 10 and 11. Additionally, 12 other districts, including Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Kallakurichi, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Pudukkottai, Sivaganga, and Ramanathapuram, are expected to receive intense rain spells. An Orange Alert has also been issued for Chengalpattu, Villupuram, and Cuddalore districts on Thursday, December 12.
Meanwhile, Chennai and its neighbouring districts are under a Yellow Alert for December 12, with forecasts of heavy rains. Fishermen have been strongly advised not to venture into the sea, and those already at sea have been urged to return to shore immediately.The RMC has also predicted strong winds of 35-45 kmph over the southeast Bay of Bengal. The low-pressure area over the southeast Bay of Bengal and the adjoining east equatorial Indian Ocean, with an associated cyclonic circulation extending up to mid-tropospheric levels, is expected to move west-northwestwards and intensify further in the next 24 hours. The system is likely to approach the southwest Bay of Bengal, near the Sri Lanka–Tamil Nadu coast, by Wednesday, December 11. Both the State Disaster Response Forces (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Forces (NDRF) are on standby for any eventuality.
Revenue and Disaster Management Minister K Ramachandran assessed the situation at the state emergency operations centre. The alert follows the devastation caused by Cyclone Fengal, which struck Tamil Nadu and Puducherry between November 29 and December 1. The cyclone resulted in the loss of 12 lives and inundated 2,11,139 hectares of agricultural and horticultural land, causing significant losses to farmers. Infrastructure damage from Cyclone Fengal was extensive, including 1,649 kms of electric conductors, 23,664 electric poles, 997 transformers, 9,576 kms of roads, 1,847 culverts, and 417 tanks.
The Tamil Nadu government reported that 69 lakh families and 1.5 crore individuals were affected by the disaster. In the aftermath, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting Rs 2,000 crore as interim relief from the National Disaster Response Fund. The state government submitted an initial damage assessment report, estimating a need for Rs 2,475 crore for relief and reconstruction. The central government has sanctioned Rs 944 crore as interim relief for the affected regions.
