Â鶹´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Heavy rains lash India's southern and eastern coasts as a powerful storm closes in

People walk outside the Tambaram Government Hospital flooded following heavy rains along the Bay of Bengal coast in Chennai, India, Monday, Dec.4, 2023.  (AP Photo) People walk outside the Tambaram Government Hospital flooded following heavy rains along the Bay of Bengal coast in Chennai, India, Monday, Dec.4, 2023. (AP Photo)
Share
New Delhi -

Heavy rains and strong winds pelted India's southern and eastern coastlines on Monday and states were put on high alert after a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal intensified into a powerful storm, authorities said.

Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh states in the south and Odisha in the east braced for flooding as authorities issued warnings for Tropical Cyclone Michaung. It's likely to hit the southern coast on Tuesday with maximum sustained winds of 90-100 km/h (56-62 mph) and gusts up to 110 km/h (68 mph), the Indian Meteorological Department said.

The storm could make landfall on Tuesday afternoon close to Bapatla in Andhra Pradesh state, said the head of the department, Mrutyunjay Mohapatra.

The Andhra Pradesh state government shut schools on Monday while authorities in Tamil Nadu declared a public holiday in four districts that are likely to bear the brunt of the downpours. In the eastern state of Odisha, a number of districts experienced heavy rain, which authorities said could intensify on Tuesday.

The Hindu newspaper reported that officials evacuated nearly 2,000 people from coastal and low-lying villages in Andhra Pradesh state, with instructions to move over 7,000 more to safer areas.

In Tamil Nadu's capital, Chennai, strong rains submerged roads and cars in knee-deep waters that flooded parts of the city as members of India's National Disaster Response Force began evacuating those in low-lying areas.

Videos showed water streaming onto the city's airport tarmac, forcing authorities to shut it down and divert more than 30 flights while around 70 were canceled, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.

India's weather department said parts of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh were likely to see over 200 millimeters (8 inches) of rain over the next 24 hours.

Authorities in Tamil Nadu over the weekend had deployed their own disaster response force and set up nearly 5,000 relief camps in coastal areas.

Tamil Nadu's chief minister, M.K. Stalin, said the state was ready to face the storm with authorities deployed to vulnerable areas, and asked the public to stay indoors until it subsided.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

British Columbia saw a rare unanimous vote in its legislature in October 2019, when members passed a law adopting the United Nations Declarations on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, setting out standards including free, prior and informed consent for actions affecting them.

A pedestrian has died after reportedly getting struck by an OPP cruiser in Bala early Sunday morning.

Two and a half years after losing her best friend and first love to suicide, Brooke Ford shared her story of grief and resilience at the CMHA Windsor-Essex Suicide Awareness Walk.

opinion

opinion How to make the most out of your TFSA

The Tax-Free Savings Account can be a powerful savings tool and investment vehicle. Financial contributor Christopher Liew explains how they work and how to take full advantage of them so you can reach your financial goals faster.

Local Spotlight

A tale about a taxicab hauling gold and sinking through the ice on Larder Lake, Ont., in December 1937 has captivated a man from that town for decades.

When a group of B.C. filmmakers set out on a small fishing boat near Powell River last week, they hoped to capture some video for a documentary on humpback whales. What happened next blew their minds.

A pizza chain in Edmonton claims to have the world's largest deliverable pizza.

Sarah McLachlan is returning to her hometown of Halifax in November.

Wayne MacKay is still playing basketball twice at Mount Allison University at 87 years old.

A man from a small rural Alberta town is making music that makes people laugh.

An Indigenous artist has a buyer-beware warning ahead of Sept. 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Police are looking to the public for help after thieves broke into a Lethbridge ice creamery, stealing from the store.

An ordinary day on the job delivering mail in East Elmwood quickly turned dramatic for Canada Post letter carrier Jared Plourde. A woman on his route was calling out in distress.