NDRF teams take off from Palam for flood-hit Tamil Nadu

As National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams took off for flood-hit Tamil Nadu from the Palam airport here this evening with relief materials, the India Air Force (IAF) said a C-17 has already gone from Chandigarh with three NDRF teams, while a C-113 took off from Palam.

"The IAF is fully involved in the rescue and relief operations. At Tirupati, we have two B-17s standing there; six Chetak Cheetahs are in FIS; and two Mi-17s are positioned at Sulur," IAF PRO Rochelle De Silva said.

"We are all prepared and if the weather permits, we are there. The nation can be assured that we are here for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief," said De Silva, adding that Chennai and Tambaram airbases are still flooded.

Normal life is thrown completely out of gear in many places, including Chennai, Tiruvallur and Kanchipuram districts. Thousands of people are being evacuated from submerged areas in pockets of Chennai and most places in and around the suburban West Tambaram.

Food packets are being dropped in Tambaram area from helicopters and boats are deployed for evacuation operation there.

In addition to the fire service and police, Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and NDRF personnel are involved in rescue and relief operations.

Power supply was suspended as a precautionary measure. Bus services on the arterial GST Road via suburban Tambaram connecting Chennai with the South is kept to a bare minimum. In the last 24 hours, Tambaram recorded a whopping 49 centimetre rain.

Chennai city had a spatial variation in the downpour which was 29 cm at Nungambakkam and 35 cm at airport. Meanwhile, weather officials say, the low pressure area near North Tamil Nadu remains stationery, with the prospects of bringing intermittent rain for three more days.