Covering an expansive area, stagnant water dominates the landscape, accompanied by ongoing power disruptions. Two days post Cyclone Michaung, residents in various parts of Chennai and its suburbs are gripped with fear. Having tragically lost loved ones, they are now desperately seeking secure shelters to protect their children from the cyclone's aftermath.
According to the IMD (India Meteorological Department), Michaung, the Cyclonic storm weakened a deep depression over central coastal AP on December 6th. The situation exacerbated within the following 6 hours, as the storm weakened further into a depression and further into a well marked low pressure during the subsequent 6 hours.
On December 5th, following its landfall in Andhra Pradesh, Michaung, with its super cyclonic intensity, unleashed a relentless downpour. The aftermath saw numerous neighbourhoods submerged in water, a situation that persisted for about 30 hours after the rain had ceased. On the same day, the death toll rose to 7 which rose to 17 in the city on December 6th due to these torrential rains with 61600 people being moved to relief camps in 9 districts, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said.
The havoc created by the storm is fierce, bringing about the Uprooting of trees and widespread power outages causing extreme trouble to the residents. Rescue efforts and communication were impeded by the compromised telecommunication networks. The scarcity of essential items such as drinking water, milk, and diesel only exacerbated the already dire conditions. Having gone without adequate food for 48 hours, some elderly residents suffering from diabetes experienced further deterioration in their health conditions. Power cut evokes protests as desperate residents take it to the street after being without electricity and internet for 3 consecutive days. With 1200 fishing boats damaged beyond repair, and many missing, the fishing community suffered significantly. On December 7th, Southern Railways cancels 15 train services due to incessant rains and extreme water-logging in Chennai.
During a press conference at the Secretariat, Shiv Das Meena stated that they are obtaining additional manpower and equipment from neighboring districts. Currently, 3000 workers are engaged in debris clearance, and another 2000 workers are expected to join the mission by Tuesday evening. Furthermore, more than 11 lakh food packets and over one lakh milk packets have already been distributed.
On the request from the Greater Chennai Corporation, the Navy personnel, with a team comprising of divers and swimmers came to aid by safely evacuating about 150 people, including elderly, pregnant women and children from the flooded areas in Mdipakkam, Kolathur and suburbs of Chennai on Tuesday, December 5th, said a spokesperson of the Union Ministry of Defence. Two Air Force helicopters were deployed to deliver relief materials for the benefit of Chennai residents, and ration supplies were provided in Adyar and the neighbouring areas near Chennai harbour.
On the 6th, DMK MP Baalu addressed the issue during Zero Hour, urging the declaration of the Cyclone in Tamil Nadu as a national calamity. Meanwhile, Stalin has requested an interim relief of Rs 5060 Crore from the Prime Minister to address the damages. PM Modi took to social media to express condolences to the families of the deceased on the same day while Rajnath Singh to visit Tamil Nadu on the 7th to assess the flood situation along with Stalin by conducting an aerial survey of the flood hit area.
