Tamil Nadu rains: Red alert issued in 8 districts; CM reviews situation

Chennai: As the northeast monsoon intensifies across Tamil Nadu, the regional weather office on Tuesday issued heavy-rain alerts for several districts.

Chief Minister M. K. Stalin also reviewed the situation with officials and directed that precautionary measures be put in place in view of the downpour.

A “red” alert was issued for eight districts and an orange alert for Chennai for Tuesday, even as widespread rains lashed various parts of the state, the meteorological department said.

A Regional Meteorological Centre official said the red alert applies to Villupuram, Cuddalore, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Tiruvallur, Thanjavur, Pudukottai, and Ramanathapuram districts. A similar alert was also sounded for the neighbouring Puducherry union territory.

“Heavy rain is likely in the entire north coastal belt, but extremely heavy rain is expected in the above districts,” the official said.

An orange alert has been sounded for Chennai, Tiruvallur, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Kallakurichi, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari.

A red alert indicates extremely heavy rain of over 20 cm in 24 hours, while an orange alert means very heavy rain of 11 cm to 20 cm.

In Chennai, the Chief Minister held a meeting with district collectors through video conference and instructed them to keep relief camps ready for people affected by the rain.

To mitigate damage caused by rain, the CM advised the teams to be ready with necessary equipment like JCB machines, boats, motor pumps, trucks and saws.

The northeast monsoon has intensified across Tirunelveli, affecting agricultural villages like Mannarkoil, Ayan, Thiruvaalieswaram, Kakanallur, Vaigaikulam and Bramadesam.