Cyclone Alert: The depression over southwest Bengal has turned into a cyclonic storm. The storm is expected to hit the coast between Puducherry and Nellore on the morning of October 17 and heavy rain is expected at several places over the south coast and Rayalaseema. The storm is likely to hit the coast between Puducherry and Nellore by tomorrow morning, said Ronanki Kurmanath of the meteorological department of the Andhra Pradesh Disaster Management Authority. It is moving towards north-west direction at a speed of 10 km per hour. Heavy to very heavy rain is likely at many places in South Coast and Rayalaseema. Heavy rain is likely in some areas. The wind is blowing on the coast. The wind speed is likely to be 40-60 kmph.
Heavy rains in Chennai and Tamil Nadu

Traffic in the city came to a complete standstill due to heavy rains in Chennai and parts of Tamil Nadu. Residential areas and roads were knee-deep in water, causing major disruption to daily life. Torrential rains caused traffic jams, disrupted public transport services and forced the cancellation of several domestic flights. Southern Railway announced the cancellation of four express trains, including the Chennai Central-Mysore Cauvery Express, due to water-bombing.

Trains were diverted

Many trains were diverted, some were stopped before Chennai Central Railway Station. For some trains the original station was shifted to suburban Awadi. Many domestic flights were canceled due to insufficient passengers.

IMD issued an alert

The IMD has issued an alert that heavy to very heavy rains are likely in Tiruvallur, Kanchipuram, Chengalpattu and Chennai districts with very heavy rain at one or two places. Karnataka Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said Disaster Response Force personnel have been deployed in Bengaluru following the forecast of heavy rains. We are deploying another 40 employees to be ready for any need. We have put fire and emergency services on standby for immediate action.

Helpline number announced

The city’s civic body Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palika (BBMP) has set up round-the-clock special control rooms in eight areas and also launched a helpline number (1533) to report rain-related problems.