A ‘red alert’ – for heavy to very heavy rainfall today and tomorrow has been issued for 20 districts across Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, after a well-marked low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal intensified into a depression. 

The weather pattern is expected to move west-northwest and reach Tamil Nadu’s northern coast by tomorrow morning, leading to heavy to very rainfall over parts of the southern state as well as neighbouring Puducherry and Karaikal.

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The Tamil Nadu government has set up 434 siren towers to alert authorities about floods and other emergencies, and is  collaborating with telecom networks to make sure mobile connectivity is not disrupted. Fifty portable cellular phone towers (on wheels) are ready for use ahead of the expected  deluge. 

Greater Chennai Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi told NDTV that 46 boats, as many earth movers, and over 500 giant motor pumps have been deployed in Chennai to aid in rescue efforts and to drain floodwaters. In all, 169 relief centres are operational, and floods from earlier this week’s rainfall have been cleared in 216 of  400 areas, he said.

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MK Stalin, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, helped distribute food to flood-stricken areas of Chennai yesterday. 

Bedi allayed fears of more floods after water is released from reservoirs near the city, telling NDTV that the water will be released gradually and there will be no sudden discharge like in 2015.

Yesterday, the Chennai civic body was pulled up by the Madras High Court, which asked, “What have you been doing since the 2015 floods?” The court warned it may have to intercede.

Tamil Nadu has been lashed by heavy rain over the last few days, receiving 46% more rainfall than the historical average. 

At least five people have died as a result of rain-related incidents, over 530 homes or huts have been damaged, and more than 1,700 people have been forced to seek refuge in relief camps. 

The city of Chennai and its suburbs of Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur were battered by rain over the weekend, the heaviest since the 2015 floods.