Cyclone leaves TN in shock, disarray; toll touches 18

Mangalore Today News Network

Dec 14, 2016, Chennai : Life in Chennai and neighbouring districts remained crippled on Tuesday, a day after cyclone Vardah devastated the coast and left 18 dead.

 

People are in shock at the scale of destruction as Vardah, the severest storm in 22 years, uprooted 5,000 trees and damaged several buildings, including some high-rises in Chennai.

“Eighteen people were killed in rain-related incidents linked to cyclone Vardah,” a top Tamil Nadu official monitoring the situation said.Five each were killed in Chennai and Tiruvallur districts, four in Kancheepuram district, one each in Villupuram and Nagapattinam districts and two in Tiruvannamalai district.

He said the hurdles had been cleared on all arterial roads. More than 13,000 people are now being sheltered at 100 camps.

Life came to a standstill on Monday afternoon in Chennai, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts as strong winds and heavy rain battered the region.

Electric poles and transformers came crashing down, resulting in a blackout in Chennai and its suburbs. People had no way to pump water to overhead tanks, and had to walk to neighbourhood taps with pots.

When the rain stopped on Tuesday morning, supply of milk and vegetables resumed. Mobile phones, landlines and cable networks, however, remained inoperative.

Rail services continued to suffer with 18 incoming and outgoing services being cancelled.

However, the authorities provided food for stranded passengers at many locations and arranged for buses to ferry them to nearby destinations, including Chennai.

With the met department forecasting heavy rain from Tuesday evening, people stayed indoors.

The revenue authorities and the National Disaster Response Force said they had rescued 10,000 people and shifted them to camps.

 

Courtesy: DHNS