TN rains: Chennai gears up for heavy rainfall, strengthens flood relief efforts
Chennai: With the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting heavy rainfall across Tamil Nadu on October 22 and 23, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has stepped up flood preparedness by nearly doubling the number of relief centres from 116 to 215 citywide.
IMD issued a yellow alert in Chennai, forecasting a 'partly cloudy sky with the possibility of moderate rain or thunderstorm accompanied by lightning' for Sunday.
The department has also predicted the continuation of rainfall across the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu over the next few days.
GCC's move comes as a precautionary measure to prevent a repeat of the devastating Chennai floods in 2021 and December 2023, which claimed more than 40 lives and displaced thousands. All 215 centres have been equipped with diesel generator sets to ensure uninterrupted power supply during extreme weather, along with mats, blankets, mosquito coils, and food arrangements, a senior civic official said.
The GCC has also set up 106 dedicated cooking centres to provide free meals to residents taking shelter. Citizens are urged to contact the GCC helpline 1913 to locate the nearest relief centre, with full details and contact numbers available on the Corporation's official website.
Large venues such as Government Higher Secondary School in Sholinganallur, capable of housing up to 3,000 people, and prominent public spaces like Pitty Thyagaraya Hall in T. Nagar and Amma Arangam in Shenoy Nagar, along with several private schools and auditoriums, have been converted into temporary shelters. Key relief centres include:
- Meenakshi School, TVS Colony (Ward 89) – 110 residents
- Velammal Matriculation Higher Secondary School, TNHB Seventh Block (Ward 91) – 300 residents
- St. Antony's School, Pallikaranai (Ward 189) – 500 residents
- Thanthai Periyar Government Higher Secondary School, Puzhuthivakkam (Ward 186) – 300 residents
- St. Francis Xavier High School, Saidapet (Ward 169) – 550 residents
- Chennai Higher Secondary School, Velachery (Ward 172) – 1,000 residents
- Annai Velankanni College, Saidapet – 900 residents
- Infant Jesus Matriculation School, Guindy – 200 residents
- Akshata Mahal, Nerkundram – 150 residents
- Seethalakshmi Thirumana Mandapam, Maduravoyal – 400 residents
Temporary works are also underway to plug missing links in the city's stormwater drain network, a long-standing issue that worsened flooding in low-lying areas during previous monsoons.