Tamil Nadu is facing its worst crisis in years, with heavy rains and floods having taken a heavy toll on life and property. Take a look at the 10 major developments as the crisis enters its third consecutive day.
1. A total of 269 people have lost their lives in Tamil Nadu in wake of floods and torrential rains that lashed Tamil Nadu since last month.
2. Prime Minister Narendra Modi today flew to Chennai to take stock of the flood situation in the state. Modi also met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. "The government of India will stand by the people of Tamil Nadu in their hour of need," he said, announcing a relief package of Rs 1000 crore for the state.
3. Terming the situation as "very alarming", Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said in parliament that the Centre would extend all possible assistance to states in dealing with natural calamities.
4. Over 15 trains have either been cancelled or diverted in wake of the floods and heavy rains in the past three days. Flight operations to and from Chennai have also come to a grinding halt.
5. According to the Airports Authority of India, the Chennai International airport will remain closed till December 6. The Rajali naval air station at Arakkonam, 70 km west of Chennai, will function as a makeshift airport in the meantime.
6. Teams from the National Disaster Response Force, Army and the Indian Air Force have been deployed for rescue and relief operations. The Centre also held a series of meetings to assess the damage. Over 4,000 people have been rescued so far.
7. Power and transport facilities remained severely hit for the third consecutive day today. Availability of essential commodities like milk and water remained affected. At places where they were available, the commodities were being sold at exorbitant prices.
8. Offices and educational institutions have been forced to stay shut. All scheduled examinations have also been postponed.
9. The rains have stopped now and water levels have now started to recede in some areas. The IMD has said that the low pressure is expected to weaken in the next two days.
10. Several companies have come up with ways they can extend a helping hand to distraught citizens.
While telecom companies have offered free talk time and data, many start-ups (Paytm, Ola, Zomato, Practo etc.) have offered their services for free.
