Chennai: Five people have died in rain-related incidents in Tamilnadu during the last 24 hours, even as torrential rains pounded several parts of the State, including in southern districts affecting normal life.
Minister for Revenue and Disasater Management KKSSR Ramachandran told reporters here that five people were killed due to rains in the last 24 hours.
While two deaths were reported from Tiruvannamalai, one person each died in Ariyalur, dindugul and Sivaganga districts, he said. The Minister said 152 cattles have perished in the State.
A total of 44 hutments were fully damaged in rains, while 637 were partially damaged. About 120 houses were also partially damaged, Ramachandran said.
More than 9,000 people were housed in 109 relief camps in Chengalpet, Dindugul, Kanchipuram, Perambalur, Pudukottai, Ranipet, Tirupattur, Tiruvannamalai, Vellore and Tuticorin districts.
In Chennai city, 620 people were housed in five relief camps where they were provided with food and medicine.
Stating that rains have occurred in 37 districts of the State, he said since the onset of Northeast monsoon on October one, the state has received 580.84 mm of rains, which was 70 per cent higher than the average rainfall of 341.33 mm.
Meanwhile, heavy rains pounded several parts of the State under the influence of the cyclonic circulation over the Bay of Bengal which lay centred off the Sri Lanka coast, which did not concentrate into a Low Pressure as predicted earlier due to lack of cloud cover and speed. Met office said heavy to very heavy rains were reported in 12 districts, while three districts witnessed heavy rains.
Thoothukudi and the temple town of Tiruchendur recorded extremely heavy rains since last evening disrupting normal life.
Kayalpattinam in Thoothukudi recorded the highest rainfall of 31 cm during the last 24 hrs ending at 0830 hrs this morning, the highest single day rainfall recorded this season.
Heavy rains also occurred in Madurai, Tirunelveli, Sivaganga, Ariyalur, Pudukottai, Nagapattinam, Kanyakumari and other districts, including the Central region and in Cauvery delta areas.
In Nagapattinam, Thoothukudi and other districts the intensity of the rain was such that knee deep water inundated several areas and entered the house and people could not venture out to buy their essentials.
As the met office have issued red alert to five districts and orange alert to a few other districts, schools and colleges were declared a holiday for the day in 19 districts, while schools were closed in eight districts.
Met office has predicted the present spell of heavy rains to continue till the month end, as one more low pressure area is expected to form in the South Andaman sea on 29 November.
People of Chennai woke up to a heavy downpour and thunderstorms as incessant and intermittent rains lashed the city and suburbs since last evening. The showers were heavy at time and several areas were water-logged prompting the police to divert traffic in some places.
The neighbouring districts of Kanchipuram, Tiruvallur and Chengalpet also witnessed heavy rains.