Cyclone Michaung made landfall crossing the south Andhra Pradesh coast on Tuesday leaving its brunt to be felt in Chennai and adjoining areas in neighbouring Tamil Nadu. The severe cyclonic storm made landfall between 12.30 pm and 2.30 pm on Tuesday.
Due to the severe storm, Chennai is also facing acute power cuts across the city. At least 12 people have also lost their lives in various rain-related incidents in and around Chennai. Meanwhile, security personnel on fishing boats and farm tractors were engaged in rescuing stranded people in the city on Tuesday. On Monday, the city and adjoining districts faced relentless rains on Monday as Michaung loomed over the north coastal areas of Tamil Nadu.
HERE'S SOME KEY POINTS:
- Michaung crossed near coastal south Andhra Pradesh's Bapatla district with maximum gales of up to 90 to 100 km per hour.
- The landfall phenomenon lasted around three hours.
- Chennai struggled to cope with large-scale water logging, power cuts and disruption in mobile services.
- Several District Disaster Response Teams (DDRT) were formed to carry out relief work in all rain-affected areas across Chennai.
- The Air Force Station, Tambaram and the Navy joined the rescue and rehabilitation works.
- More than 61,000 relief camps were established across the nine affected districts in Chennai.
- The Chennai Corporation has brought in 5000 workers from other districts for flood mitigation works in the city.
- Schools and colleges will remain closed in and around Chennai on Wednesday.
- Air services that were suspended to and from Chennai airport on Monday, partially resumed on Tuesday.
- Michaung left a trail of inundation, eroded roads, overflowing canals, swollen streams and ponds in Andhra Pradesh.
- Odisha's southern districts too received rains on Tuesday in the wake of severe cyclone Michaung.
- Five teams of ODRAF deployed in the five southern districts - Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati and Ganjam.
NDRF teams deployed in southern states
A total of 29 NDRF teams have been deployed in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Puducherry to undertake relief and rescue operations in the wake of the severe cyclonic storm Michaung hurtling down India's eastern coast on Tuesday. Fourteen National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been deployed in Tamil Nadu (five in Chennai), 11 in Andhra Pradesh, one in Telangana and three in Puducherry. The NDRF is also prepared to launch rescue and relief operations for the affected people who could be stranded, officials added.
(With inputs from PTI)
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