Government agencies brace up for heavy rain; 10 SDRF teams deployed

Tamil Nadu government agencies prepare for heavy rains in southern and western districts, deploying SDRF teams and issuing alerts.

Various agencies of the Tamil Nadu government are bracing for the heavy rain predicted in the next few days, especially in southern and western districts.

A total of 10 teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) with 296 personnel have been deployed in Kanniyakumari, Coimbatore, Tirunelveli and the Nilgiris districts, official sources said.

As heavy rain is predicted in areas along the Western Ghats for the next three days, alerts have been sent to those travelling in Kanniyakumari, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, Dindigul, Coimbatore, the Nilgiris, Virudhunagar and Theni districts.

Between May 18 and 19, alert messages were sent through the Common Alert Protocol to over 2.44 crore mobile phones in these districts, sources said.

Respective district administrations have also sent advisories to tourists visiting their districts to exercise caution and to avoid the visits in view of the weather prediction.

During the period between March 1 and May 19, the usual rainfall received across Tamil Nadu was 12.5 cm. “This year, the rainfall received during this period was 8.44 cm. This is 17% below the normal rainfall,” an official release said.

The loss of two human lives - one in Thoothukudi and the other in Salem - have been reported. Due to heavy rain, the loss of cattle was 14, while half a dozen huts/houses had been damaged.