A dozen people lost their lives in various rain-related incidents in and around the city while personnel on fishing boats and farm tractors were engaged in rescuing stranded people on Tuesday. The city and adjoining districts faced relentless rains on Monday as the severe cyclonic storm Michaung loomed over the north coastal areas of Tamil Nadu.
Eleven others, who sustained injuries in rain-related incidents, were receiving treatment in various hospitals, officials said.
Several District Disaster Response Teams (DDRT) were formed to carry out relief work in all rain-affected areas across the city.
In Muthialpet locality in the city’s outskirts, 54 families were rescued, and a woman who had just given birth was relocated to a safer place from Saligramam in the city.
More than 250 people from low-lying areas found refuge at a school camp in Kotturpuram. Additionally, 22 passengers stranded after their local bus got stuck in rainwater, were transferred to a relief camp set up at the Middle School in Pallavaram.
Since Tuesday morning, most parts of Chennai experienced a respite from rains, allowing officials to focus on rescue and relief operations in affected areas.
During a press conference at the Chennai Corporation headquarters on Tuesday morning, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin stated that relief measures were being undertaken on a war footing.
Stalin mentioned that across the nine affected districts, including Chennai, a total of 61,666 relief camps were established. Approximately 11 lakh food packets and one lakh milk packets have been distributed so far, he said.
The Chennai Corporation has brought in 5000 workers from other districts for flood mitigation works in the city. These workers utilised farm tractors and fishing boats in flooded areas such as Periamet and other parts of north Chennai for rescue operations and distributing relief materials.
Residents in areas like suburban Tambaram, Ashok Nagar, Kattupakkam, and Perungudi complained about the lack of power restoration despite the rain ceasing for several hours.