Cyclone Michaung which made landfall on the Andhra Pradesh coast near Bapatla on Tuesday afternoon, accompanied by intense rain and wind speeds up to 100 kmph, caused widespread devastation and affecting more than two crore people. The storm also claimed over a dozen lives. Thousands of ground-floor homes and vehicles remained submerged. In Andhra Pradesh, the cyclone wreaked havoc on thousands of acres of standing crops, primarily paddy. Around 10,000 people were evacuated.
Several areas of Chennai continued to reel under severe waterlogging conditions on Thursday amid heavy rainfall in the region in the immediate aftermath of Cyclone Michaung, which made landfall two days ago. Various parts of the city, including a petrol pump in the Pallikaranai area, Jerusalem College of Engineering remained inundated after heavy rainfall. The waterfalls at the Kodaikanal Hills in Dindigul district also swelled and overflowed due to heavy rainfall in the region.
1. The Tamil Nadu government announced that schools and colleges in the Chennai district will remain closed today i.e. on 8 December as relief works are underway in rain-affected areas.
2. Tamil Nadu chief secretary Shiv Das Meena on Thursday said that 9,000 officials from other districts are deployed for the relief work. "Work on water stagnation at 343 places is underway. Food packets are being distributed in the flood-affected areas. Other district workers like medical staff, fire service staff, EN staff, etc., have been called to work in Chennai for restoration. A total of 9,000 officials from other districts are also deployed for the relief work in Chennai," Meena said.
3. As per IMD, Isolated heavy rainfall also very likely over Kerala and Tamil Nadu on 8th & 9th December and over Lakshadweep on 8th December. The IMD Chennai has predicted heavy rain at one or two places over Nilgiris and Ghat areas of Coimbatore districts, while thunderstorm and lightning is likely to occur at one or two places over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry & Karaikal area till 9 December.
4. Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu is scheduled to visit the cyclone-ravaged regions of Vemuru, Tenali, Bapatla, Parchur, and Prattipadu in the districts of Guntur and Prakasam on December 8 and 9 respectively. Former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Chandrababu Naidu will visit the constituencies of Vemuru, Tenali, and Bapatla on Friday. On Saturday, he will inspect the crop fields devastated by cyclone Michaung in Parchur and Prattipadu constituencies.
5. Shopkeepers in Usilampatti in Madurai district kept their shops closed on 7th December, as part of their support to seeking water through 58-canal in Usilampatti. This canal is the source of water for the region as it brings water from the Vaigai River to Usilampatti.
7. Congress MP Manickam Tagore on Friday gave an adjournment motion in Lok Sabha seeking discussion on the current condition of Chennai and other parts of Tamil Nadu as the state witnessed damages due to the effect of Cyclone Michaung. He demanded that the Lower House should initiate a discussion on the damage assessment for the Southern state and demanded that it direct the Centre to release a minimum of ₹5100 crore to facilitate comprehensive and effective relief efforts.
8. Rajnath Singh on Thursday said that PM Modi directed the Ministry of Home Affairs to release in advance the Central share of the second instalment of SDRF of ₹493.60 crore to Andhra Pradesh and ₹450 crore to Tamil Nadu.
9. Toyota Kirloskar Motor on Thursday said its dealers have initiated various measures for customers in the Cyclone-hit regions of Chennai and Andhra Pradesh. The company, in association with its dealer partners, have set up special emergency helpline numbers and designated personnel for extending immediate assistance to customers in need, the automaker said in a statement.
10. The Tamil Nadu IAS Officers' Association has stepped forward to bolster relief efforts in Chennai after Cyclone Michaung wreaked havoc across the state capital. The association demonstrated its commitment to supporting the state government in the ongoing relief operations by contributing a day's salary of its members to the Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund, an official release stated.
(With ANI, PTI inputs)
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