Rains lash TN, schools closed in many distts

Widespread rains lashed parts of Tamil Nadu on Thursday, prompting authorities to declare a holiday for schools in Chennai and many other districts.

- Press Trust of India

CHENNAI:

With people yet to come to terms with the devastation caused in 14 districts across Tamil Nadu by cyclone Fengal, the intense rain throughout the state inundated several areas and submerged standing crops in the districts.

In Chennai, apprehensive of destruction to their cars, many residents parked their vehicles on the Velachery flyover. At many places in the city, people had to confront knee-deep water even on the arterial roads and many residential areas were flooded due to the rain since Wednesday night.

"We didn't want to take the risk of losing our cars, so we parked our vehicles on the flyover," a resident of Velachery said.

Traffic at Kathipara, Poonamallee, Porur, Maduravoyal, Vysarpadi, and Chennai suburbs came to a standstill with all sorts of vehicles getting stranded in the rainwater.

Residents of Vyasarpadi and Pallavaram complained that water logging in their areas during monsoon has become a regular feature. They hoped the civic authorities would ensure an effective mechanism to drain excess flood water and make the roads safe and motorable.

At least three subways here were heavily inundated with rainwater, forcing the civic body to temporarily shut them. Efforts were on to bail out the water.

Several areas in Thiruvannamalai, which had experienced mud slips at least four times when Cyclone Fengal crossed the Tamil Nadu and Karaikal coast on November 30, and some parts in the southern districts, as well, were swarmed by swathes of water.