Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that he was leaving for Chennai on Thursday to survey the situation as Tamil Nadu continued to reel under the incessant rain, with parts of the state turning into islands cut off from road and rail links. Thousands have been rendered homeless, as rescue workers, including the army and navy look to move the displaced people to shelter homes. According to ANI, the Indian Air Force airlifted 200 people to safety around noon on Thursday.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh, speaking about the Tamil Nadu floods in the Lok Sabha, said the Meteorological department has predicted more rainfall over the next few days, and that 269 people have died in rain-related incidents in the state. LS Rathore of the Met department confirmed that very heavy rainfall was expected to continue in the area.
Chennai received 49 cm of rain the the last 24 hours, reported The Indian Express, while the Chembarambakkam received 47 cm of rain. More than 25,000 cusecs of water flowed from the reservoir at Chembarambakkam to the Adyar river. Phone lines, electricity and transport in and out of the city remains patchy, further hampering efforts to connect with those in need. Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa is expected to conduct an aerial survey on Thursday in the flood affected areas of Chennai, Kanchipuram and Tiruvallur.
On Thursday morning, President Pranab Mukherjee tweeted about the Tamil Nadu situation, offering his prayers for those stranded. He condoled the loss of human lives and said he was saddened by the widespread damage to property and infrastructure.
In the mean time, Karnataka has ordered the release of Rs 5 crore to Tamil Nadu, and promised to help in any other way that is required, Bangalore Mirror reported on Wednesday. The Home Secretary is monitoring the situation closely, ANI reported, as military and paramilitary forces continued the rescue and relief efforts, Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu said. The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India predicted that the floods have caused losses of more than Rs 15,000 crore, according to CNN-IBN. More than 70,000 people have been housed in relief camps, but thousands of people are still stranded at the airport and railway stations, the state government said.
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