Cyclone Nivar has not even made landfall yet, but the rise in rainfall alone has caused a lot of damage in Chennai. While the cyclone is expected to cross Puducherry by midnight on 25 November, the rainfall has been intense in Tamil Nadu’s capital city.
Although the government of Tamil Nadu is well-prepared and has foreseen the damage that the cyclone could do to power lines and communication networks, floods on the first day of rainfall had not been anticipated.
Locals fear that Chennai will become victim to floods again, as it did in 2015. No one expected the rapid rise of water levels in many areas.
I live in the low-lying area of Velachery in Chennai. This area has always suffered from floods. A few days ago, civil officials had said that Velachery would be a flood-free locality, but the waterlogged roads now make residents wonder what went wrong with the newly constructed rainwater drains.
Even when there is a moderate rainfall during the monsoon, roads here get damaged and fill up easily with water. My flatmates and I were prepared, knowing that the our roads would get flooded soon, but what we did not expect is that it would happen even before the cyclone made landfall.
Not just my street, but the entire area has seen the rise in water levels within two hours. At this rate, it would be no surprise if the water level rose to the second floor of the apartment.
Condition Worsens as Hours Pass
Velachery’s main road Ram Nagar has water up to 3 feet. Our friends living in that area informed us that the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has brought in boats and is ready to rescue locals if the water level continues to rise. The condition is worsening by the hour, as captured in photos starting 11 am.
1:15 pm
2:48 pm
4.12 pm
Essentials Stocked
As the electricity connection is already erratic, residents in the area have stocked up on essentials.
“We were prepared when the power went off last night. We even stocked our needs. But what we were not prepared for is the water to increase to a level of 3 feet where we would be needing boats.”Janani Ravikumar, Resident
With the increase in the intensity of rainfall, the entire area is flooding. However, the Chennai Corporation seems prepared for the evacuation of people here as the rainfall is expected to continue till Thursday.
“Though my roads are flooded, the water has not yet entered the house as we raised our platform after the 2015 floods.”Shruti Suresh, Resident
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