Chennai floods: Events as they unfolded on Wednesday

Shah Rukh Khan tweeted the following:

May God look after all our brothers & sisters in Chennai. Nature’s fury is strong may we all have the strength to fight it. Insha Allah

— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) December 2, 2015

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa to make aerial survey of flood-hit Chennai, Kanchipuram and Tiruvallur districts.

Also Read - TN Govt issues advisory to pvt undertakings to declare holiday on Dec 3, 4

Airbus 320 test lands at Rajali naval base in Arakkonam which will function as a make shift airport for passenger flights, as per ANI. 

AAI trying to shift stranded passengers at Chennai Airport to Tirupati and Bengaluru: Mahesh Sharma,MoS, Civil Aviation.

A tweet which noted music director AR Rahman posted yesterday:

Oh god, please keep my Chennai and its people safe from the floods

— A.R.Rahman (@arrahman) December 1, 2015

All officers, staff of IR ordered to help stranded,affected persons, in TN, provide all help and to run trains,despite challenges. MR monitoring, tweets Union Rail Minister.

All officers,staff of IR ordered to help stranded,affected persons,in TN,provide all help&to run trains,despite challenges.MR monitoring

— Suresh Prabhu (@sureshpprabhu) December 2, 2015

Also Read - Chennai rains: JP Nadda talks to TN Health Minister, assures support

Also Read - Chennai floods: Financial loss may exceed Rs 15,000 crore, says Assocham

Union Minister JP Nadda today spoke to Tamil Nadu Health Minister assuring all possible help.

I have spoken to Health Minister of Tamil Nadu on flood situation. Offered all possible help from Union Health Ministry.

— Jagat Prakash Nadda (@JPNadda) December 2, 2015

Union Health Min. Officials are in touch with Health Officials of Tamil Nadu to provide all possible support to deal with flood situation

— Jagat Prakash Nadda (@JPNadda) December 2, 2015

Chennai airport to remain shut till December 6, says AAI.

Also Read - Chennai floods: Bihar deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav to donate 1st month's salary to relief fund

HM Rajnath Singh will make a statement in both the houses of the Parliament on chennai floods tomorrow.

Also Read - Chennai floods: Know which flights are cancelled!

Also Read - Tamil Nadu floods: RS members offer to spend MPLADS funds

We have so far sent 22 NDRF teams, they are carrying almost 80 boats with them. Have evacuated more than 500 people so far and we are getting calls, messages from affected people, attending them. If situations becomes ugly, then we will have to pump in more teams from various other parts of the country: NDRF DG OP Singh.

Have asked my chief secretary to talk to TN's chief secretary, to give assistance of about 5 crores: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah.

Chennai has been officially declared a disaster zone, as per reports. 

Have asked govt to proclaim chennai floods as natural disaster, take measures to provide rescue and relief ops: Kanimozhi. 

BSNL to provide free services for a week.

Have evacuated more than 500 people so far and we are getting calls, messages from affected people, attending them: NDRF DG, OP Singh as per ANI.

Also Read - Chennai floods: Paytm announces free mobile recharge of Rs 30

Helpline number, Southern Railway at Chennai Central - 044-25330714 and Chennai Egmore - 044-28190216. 

Also Read: Zomato launches Chennai food relief meal delivery service

Just In -  NDRF teams leave for Tamil Nadu from Delhi with relief material.

Deployment of Army and other forces for rescue ops in Tamil Nadu discussed in meeting by Home Minister. He has assured all possible assistance will be given, reports ANI.

RS members proposal to contribute MPLAD towards chennai rains relief fund. Exemplary idea. Do remember Komen Cycone that hit Bengal in Augns in TN, tweets TMC MP Derek O'Brien.

RS members proposal to contribute MPLAD towards #ChennaiRains relief fund. Exemplary idea. Do remember Komen Cycone that hit Bengal in Aug

— Derek O'Brien (@quizderek) December 2, 2015

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik speaks to TN CM Jayalalithaa, conveying his concern over torrential and recurring rains in TN, as per ANI.

Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad says BSNL will not charge its customers in Chennai for one week starting today due to the flood situation.

We will continue to help with rescue & relief in Chennai: Vice Admiral Soni, Easter Naval Command #ChennaiFloods pic.twitter.com/YKgCPu7UXj

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 2, 2015

DMK Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi says the situation in Tamil Nadu is very bad.

"Agriculture, cattle, everything is getting affected. Hospitals have no power," she told Rajya Sabha a little while back. "Students have not gone to schools for more than 15 to 16 days, books washed away in floods," she added.

Heartbreaking to hear about the #ChennaiFloods wreaking havoc...hoping tomorrow is a bright and sunny day. Prayers with all those affected.

— Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) December 2, 2015

#ChennaiFloods A pregnant lady rescued Mudichur Near tambaram around 1130 this morning by VMI. #IIayathalapathy pic.twitter.com/hucSrKpoB1

— ❤ இளைய தளபதி ®™❤ (@AriyaVijay) December 2, 2015

Rajya Sabha MPs will contribute towards the relief for Chennai floods victims. Amount will be decided after consulting RS Chairman.

We'd meeting with all Ministries &it has been decided to send relief measures frm nearest Tirupati airport: M.Sharma pic.twitter.com/7ApjUolK7Z

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 2, 2015

Alok Bhatnagar, Naval officer in charge of Puducherry and Tamil Nadu, says ship carrying basic facilities like drinking water and food will arrive tomorrow. 

"We have deployed helicopters and boats in several parts for relief and rescue measures," adds Bhatnagar.

Railway PRO Anil Saxena says they have had to cancel 23 trains, divert 11 and partially cancel 8 trains due to heavy rains in Chennai.

Passengers are advised to check status of their trains before embarking on their journey, Saxena says further, adding, "We're taking measures to provide drinking water and other basic facilities to passengers stranded in trains and at stations".

Here are some of the areas in Chennai that have been most affected by the heavy downpour:

Chennai floods - Eight Most affected areas

Key Info: Chennai floods - Emergency helpline numbers

Chennai floods: Train services severely hit due to heavy downpour

Home Minister Rajnath Singh will hold a meeting on Chennai flood situation and the rescue and relief measures, Union minister Venkaiah Naidu has informed the Lok Sabha.

ICGS Sarang deployed to Chennai with divers. Food is being cooked on-board for distribution among victims: Indian Coast Guard #ChennaiFloods

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 2, 2015

Interiors of Tamil Nadu, Cuddalore, Coimbatore, coastal AP, Rayalseema will see heavy rainfall for 2 days: Met Dept pic.twitter.com/y6ZO5vH0K5

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 2, 2015

Situation is worrying in Tamil Nadu and parts of Andhra Pradesh. Alternate arrangements are being made. We have also set up a helpline, says Suresh Prabhu, Railway Minister.

A news was doing the rounds that crocodiles have escaped from the Madras Crocodile Bank. The news was a hoax and residents of Chennai need not worry. 

Website by @ChennaiRains https://t.co/W30VwWhS1A has been set up to coordinate offers of shelter & food. RT, spread the word! #ChennaiFloods

— GAIL (India) Limited (@gailindia) December 2, 2015

The Hindu, one of the country's most respected and oldest daily, did not come out with a Chennai edition today. It is the first time since 1878 that the newspaper was not printed in Chennai. The Hindu did not come out with Chennai edition today as its workers could not access the press due to rains and floods in Chennai.

Emergency Contact Numbers released by Chennai Corporation --> Need Maximum Retweets #ChennaiFloods #PrayforChennai pic.twitter.com/YQWTeB2idM

— Actor Vijay FC (@ActorVijayFan1) December 2, 2015

In a bid to assist people stranded in Chennai due to flooding, telecom major Airtel has announced an auto credit of upto Rs 30 talk time, free of cost credit of 10 minutes of Airtel-to-Airtel calling, and free credit of 50 MB mobile data for its prepaid customers.

Many users on Twitter are also alerting people. Here's one such tweet:

#ChennaiFloods @ChennaiRains @chennaiweather People kindly avoid CMBT, Koyambedu and Vadapalani. pic.twitter.com/9glOHq0qgk

— Akshat Jain (@Akshat_2793) December 2, 2015

Navy drone conducts aerial survey of #ChennaiFloods (Source: Indian Navy) pic.twitter.com/BhJUoP8sqe

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 2, 2015

#ChennaiFloods List of verified doctors & hospitals available to help. Updated every hour. Please RT. #ChennaiRains https://t.co/CZsblNWpTo

— Practo (@Practo) December 2, 2015

Also Read: Rajinikanth donates Rs 10 lakh for rain-hit Tamil Nadu

Earlier in the day, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi expressed concern over the situation in Chennai. He tweeted:

News of heavy rains in Chennai &other parts of TN extremely worrying.My thoughts are with the people of TN as they battle incessant rains

— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) December 2, 2015

I hope rescue and relief operations reach those in need at the earliest

— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) December 2, 2015

I urge Congress workers to extend all possible assistance to those affected by the rains& floods

— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) December 2, 2015

Also Read: 'Worried' Rahul Gandhi urges Congress workers to extend help

No councillor, no politician has come here to ask about us, even when our children are going hungry: #ChennaiFloods pic.twitter.com/dWDbTTVCtS

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 2, 2015

There is no food since yesterday,water entered suddenly, we had no warning. Now boats here: Bhagya #ChennaiFloods pic.twitter.com/yD5YJzCzm4

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 2, 2015

Rescue operation in Nungambakkam, Chennai #ChennaiFloods pic.twitter.com/9gq2WksyV9

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 2, 2015

Indian Coast Guard has also joined the rescue operations in Chennai.

Indian Coast Guard rescue operations underway #ChennaiFloods (Pic source: ICG) pic.twitter.com/1BKj8uuXb0

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 2, 2015

Army rescue operations continue #ChennaiFloods (pic source: Indian Army) pic.twitter.com/cwA867yKhP

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 2, 2015

More heavy rains are expected till tomorrow in Tamil Nadu, after which the intensity will decrease but rainfall will continue, says director, IMD.

Sea gets rough, incessant rain in Prakasam district, #AndhraPradesh pic.twitter.com/tc4JCCumZ1

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 2, 2015

Necessary steps will be taken, Railway officials monitoring situation-Manoj Sinha,MoS,Railways #ChennaiFloods pic.twitter.com/GEcZH9ZrE0

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 2, 2015

Navy PRO says they have deployed naval teams deployed, swimmers, divers and UAVs to help in relief and rescue and also get real time information.

ANI reports that Indian Army rescue columns have reached out to victims of floods in Chennai and succeeded in rescuing over 50 civilians to safety in Gudvancheri and Mudichur.

With civil communication and towers out of order in Chennai, Army is resorting to radio communication for co-ordinating rescue operations.

Also, while flood rescue operations are in progress, more Army columns are being brought in to augment rescue efforts.

Heavy rains in Nellore(Andhra Pradesh), rescue efforts underway pic.twitter.com/oxe0m5FekZ

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 2, 2015

Now flooding is also being reported from Nellore in Andhra Pradesh.

Nellore floods. #AndhraPradesh pic.twitter.com/T8jJVrxinJ

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 2, 2015

As soon as Chennai airport is functional, we will send additional teams from Delhi and Bhubaneshwar-NDRF DG OP Singh pic.twitter.com/EtI5Pdtfcd

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 2, 2015

Chennai Airport is in a low-lying area,with rainfall likely to continue, its not in a good situation-LS Rathore,MeT Dept #ChennaiFloods

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 2, 2015

Also Read: Chennai rains - Flooded city airport shut till 6 am tomorrow

Navy Helpline 044-25394240 promulgated and manned 24x7. #ChennaiFloods

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 2, 2015

Shelter for housing 100 needy personnel kept ready at INS Adyar. Medical team kept standby for deputing at short notice, reports ANI.

Also Read: Chennai rains severely hit IT and automobile companies

IMD director general LS Rathore says rains in coastal areas of South India are expected to continue for the next 72 hours. "The situation is worse in north Tamil Nadu. Now heavy rains expected in south Tamil Nadu and Kerala too," Rathore stated.

Also Read: Chennai weather forecast - Heavy rains predicted over next 48 hours

INS Airawat is now headed to Chennai from Vizag for rescue operations in flood-affected areas, says CG Raju, Navy PRO (Vizag). "INS Airawat equipped with 5 Jamini boats, 20 divers, lot to relief material, will reach Chennai today late evening or early tomorrow morning." Raju adds.

Chennai airport,Tambaram and Arakkonam air bases flooded, fixed wing aircraft will land closest to Tirupathi: IAF #chennairains

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 2, 2015

Current satellite images of Chennai (source: MeT Dept) pic.twitter.com/i3Yz03QmiC

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 2, 2015

The unprecedented torrential rains have battered Tamil Nadu`s northern districts such as Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kanchipuram and Cuddalore, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa said while speaking to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday. Jayalalithaa told Modi that the state machinery was geared up to tackle the challenges.

During the last spell of rains, around 180 people lost their lives in the four district of Chennai, Kanchipuram, Cuddalore and Thiruvallur.

The rains stopped this morning and provided some respite to the people, but the weather office has forecast heavy rains for next three days. Schools and colleges, meanwhile, remain shut.

It is also raining opportunity for taxi and auto-rickshaw drivers who are charging sky high rates to ply short distances. IANS reports that a taxi driver charged Rs 4,500 to transport three persons from airport to a hotel in Anna Salai.

There is no power supply in many areas of Chennai, and mobile phone services have also been affected due to the rains.

IANS reports that flooding is severe in suburban areas with water levels covering the ground floor and threatening to enter the first floor. People living at higher levels were opening up their doors to help the strangers.

"The situation was bad and the water level was increasing," Jenson, resident of Sunambu Kolathur of Kanchipuram district, said.

Residents of Chennai are sharing their ordeals in the wake of Chennai rains.

"Water came into our apartment and we had to shift to our neighbour's house on the first floor," Revathi Vasan, resident of west Mambalam, told IANS.

Another family living on the ground floor has also shifted with us, Revathi said. "There is waist deep water level around our apartment," she added.

Water logging in Thirumangalam (Chennai) as heavy rains continue in the region. pic.twitter.com/VwQVmmabw0

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 2, 2015

Cabinet Secretary will meet Indian Meteorological Department's director general, Home Secretary, and officials of the NDRF and NDMA at 12.30 pm to review the situation in Chennai.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is currently meeting Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu on Chennai Rains.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh says he is in touch with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa and assured of all help in the wake of Chennai rains.

"I talked to Tamil Nadu CM a week back, had assured her of all assistance. PM also talked to her yesterday," Rajnath said.

Many trains have been cancelled or diverted due to rains in Chennai. Check out the complete list here:

Chennai rains: Latest list of cancelled/diverted trains

Meanwhile, this is also happening in Chennai flooded by rains.

Our milk lady Radha in Chennai - been delivering for 25 years, and did not fail to show up this morning. pic.twitter.com/WrcCITS60e

— Ramanathan S (@madarassi) December 2, 2015

Ola Cabs is continuing to provide boat services to help people in Chennai stuck due to rains.

#Chennai If you're stuck in rain and need assistance please contact us at 04428294121. We'll do our best to get you home safe. RT #StaySafe

— OLA (@Olacabs) December 1, 2015

Please note the no. shared is that of the fire control dept. we're working closely with them and pooling in all our resources to help out.

— OLA (@Olacabs) December 1, 2015

The weather is clearing up in Chennai, report Twitter users. Here's one such tweet: 

Sky is getting brighter and sun is trying to come out #chennairains pic.twitter.com/mdGMYotiHf

— Deva♥♥♥ (@imDeva77) December 2, 2015

Reports from Chennai say rains have stopped in most parts of the city as of now.

ANI reports that 25 to 30 people have been rescued by the Army from Gudvancheri and Urapakkam. 15 have also been rescued from a stranded bus in Manapakkam.

NDRF DG OP Singh says their teams from Odisha and Bihar ​have not been able to land in Chennai due to waterlogging at the airport.

We hoped to get airport clearance by 6.30 am but now its postponed to 11.30 am-NDRF DG OP Singh #chennairains pic.twitter.com/7AuHFDtuYd

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 2, 2015

Some pictures from Chennai which reveal the ground situation.

As water enters homes in low-lying areas of Anna Nagar, locals rescue themselves #chennairains pic.twitter.com/FKJA5iLFTO

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 2, 2015

Chennai airport will remain shut for the day, it has been announced.

Operations at Chennai Airport shut as water started entering airfield-Deepak Shastri,Chennai Airport Director to ANI #chennairains

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 2, 2015

All operations at Chennai Airport stopped for rest of the day, all flights stand cancelled-Deepak Shastri,Chennai Airport Director to ANI

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 2, 2015

If you would like to volunteer your help in any form, please add your details in this sheet https://t.co/acInERzpqd #ChennaiRainsHelp

— Nandita Iyer (@saffrontrail) December 2, 2015

Also Read: Chennai floods - Want to extend help? Here's how you can volunteer

Heavy rainfall warning has also been issued for next four days for South Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema.

Navy personnel rescue stranded locals #chennairains (Pic source: Indian Navy) pic.twitter.com/uZ0SI7Bms3

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 2, 2015

A statement issued by Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa says, examinations of all state board schools, which were originally scheduled from December 7 onwards will now be held in the first week of January next year.

To help the people of Chennai, Twitter gets involved with Twitter India asking people to tweet with the hastag: #ChennaiRainsHelp.

Please use #ChennaiRainsHelp and tag @TwitterIndia or @the_hindu. https://t.co/Csl0I7vmjR

— Twitter India (@TwitterIndia) December 1, 2015

#ChennaiRains aren't letting up. We are curating tweets that offer help using #ChennaiRainsHelp. Please tag us or @the_hindu. We will RT.

— Twitter India (@TwitterIndia) December 1, 2015

Incessant rains in Chennai, waterlogging in various parts of the region (Visuals from Thirumangalam) pic.twitter.com/KVG7lK5xWJ

— ANI (@ANI_news) December 1, 2015

"As soon as weather clears, we have planned to run 2 bigger aircrafts with Chennai to clear pending large rush accumulated there," ANI quotes Lohani as saying.

Problem in Chennai due to heavy rains, runways underwater, says Air India CMD Ashwani Lohani. 

T 2077 - Chennai deluged .. !! Prayers for safety and calm soon .. So heartwarming to see immense voluntary help coming by !!

— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) December 1, 2015

Here's the list of trains which has been cancelled for December 02:

Karaikkudi – Chennai Pallavan Express
Madurai – Chennai Egmore Vaigai Express
Chennai Egmore– Pondicherry Express
Chennia– Tiruchirappalli Express

More train cancellations likely on December 2, appeal passengers to check their train status, we're trying to inform people: Anil Kumar Saxena​, Addl DG (PR), Railways.

Also Read: PM Modi speaks to Jayalalithaa, assures all support

Chennai Airport to remain closed throughout the night, status to be reviewed at 6 AM in morning. Flights diverted to Bengaluru and Hyderabad - ANI.

Two sections badly affected, Chennai Egmore Villupuram section and Chennai Central Gudur section: Anil Kumar Saxena, Addl DG (PR), Railways to ANI.

More teams on standby in Odisha and Bihar, to be airlifted to Chennai once operations start again at Chennai airport, says DG NDRF, as per ANI.