Heavy rains have been battering several districts across Tamil Nadu since the past weeks. Due to the torrential rainfall, pockets of the state have been facing issues of waterlogging and flooding. In a fresh rain alert on Tuesday, the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) issued an orange alert for several districts including Chennai in Tamil Nadu, indicating heavy to very heavy rainfall.
An orange alert has been issued by the weather department for Tuesday for the districts of Cuddalore, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur, while heavy downpour has been predicted over isolated places in Chengalpattu, Villupuram, Kallakurichi, Ariyalur, Perambalur, Tiruchy, Thanjavur and Pudukkottai districts and Puducherry.
As per the RMC forecast, Cuddalore, Villupuram districts and Puducherry are expected to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall on Wednesday.
This has been predicted because of a new low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal which is expected to strengthen and move toward the Tamil Nadu coast within the next two days.
Police and Fire and rescue services personnel have asked people to shift to safer areas. In Maduranthakam in neighbouring Chengalpattu district, a private bus that got stranded in rainwater had to be towed to safety by the police and public.
While a house collapsed in Suthamalli in Tirunelveli district and a Primary Health Centre in Vadakarai in Tenkasi district was inundated following overnight rain, rainwater entered the Sankaranarayana temple in Sankarankoil.
Earlier, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin called up the collectors of Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, and Thoothukudi districts and enquired with them about the damage caused by the rain and the steps being taken to ensure people's safety.
"I enquired with the district collectors and district monitoring officers about the relief work being carried out to protect the people from the heavy rain," the Chief Minister said in a post on the social media platform X.
He instructed the official to take adequate precautions, and have sufficient stock of the essential commodities and medicines.
(With inputs from PTI)