Flood relief work in full swing in Tamil Nadu

With the rain abating in the last two days, flood relief work was proceeding fast on Thursday in the affected districts in Tamil Nadu where the toll has gone up to around 120, officials said.

According to the weather department, the low pressure over the Bay of Bengal was less marked while the outlook for the next two days is less rainfall.

The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has issued a high wave warning for Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Lakshadweep due to the low pressure over the west-central Bay of Bengal near coastal Andhra Pradesh.

Schools and colleges in most districts of Tamil Nadu will be closed till November 22 due to rain.

On Thursday, the sun played hide and seek behind the clouds while it rained for a brief period here.

In Tamil Nadu, around 120 lives have been lost in the last 10 days due to rain-related incidents mainly in the three districts of Cuddalore, Kanchipuram and Chennai.

On Thursday, Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa announced a solatium of Rs.4 lakh to the families of 24 people who lost their lives in rain-related incidents.

She said schoolchildren who lost their books in the flood would be given new books.

Those families which lost their ration cards would be issued duplicate cards at the earliest, she said.

According to her, the process of estimating the damage will be done speedily and compensation to the affected people will be paid soon.

Jayalalithaa also got in touch with union Home Minister Rajnath Singh over phone and told him that the state government would submit a detailed memorandum seeking central government assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund and other central funding by November 23.

On his part, Rajnath Singh told her that a central team would reach Tamil Nadu immediately after the state submits a memorandum outlining the extent of loss.