With the Northeast Monsoon set to arrive in Tamil Nadu by October 1, the state government has started putting all precautionary measures in place. According to a report in Deccan Chronicle, the government of Tamil Nadu has identified around 4,400 flood-prone areas across the state and has instructed officials to be on high alert.
Most parts of Tamil Nadu receive its quota of annual rainfall from the Northeast monsoon, which begins in mid-October and lasts till December. Tamil Nadu minister for Revenue RB UdhayaKumar said that these flood-prone zones have been identified in 32 districts in Tamil Nadu and that zonal teams will be formed for relief and rescue operations.
Launching a manual on disaster management, RB Udhayakumar reviewed preparatory work with Additional Chief Secretaries K Satyagopal and Atulya Mishra and the Director of Disaster Management D Jagannathan.
In order to prevent diseases from spreading during disasters, the government has also deployed around 31,000 first-aid officers across the state, of which around 9,000 are women. Citizens can call 1070 to get authentic messages and alerts about disasters like cyclones or floods. Minister Udhayakumar also said that 8,642 persons have been assigned to rescue cattle stuck in water.
In 2018, the onset of northeast monsoon was in early November, which was a delay of around 10 days. During northeast monsoon, Tamil Nadu received an average rainfall of 336.5 millimetres, which was 24% less than the normal rainfall expected during that period in the state. The state also bore the wrath of Gaja, a severe cyclonic storm that made landfall between Nagapattinam and Vedaranyam in the wee hours of November 16, 2018. The cyclone, apart from bringing good rainfall over delta districts of Tamil Nadu, also caused extensive damage in the region, killing around 50 people.
Source: The News Minute