Chennai woke up to an alarming announcement that cyclone Nivar would make landfall. After which Chennaites were given warnings that the torrential rains would bring devastation to the city, and many areas near the Adyar river were also being evacuated taking residents to rescue centres.
Even the water in the Chembarambakkam lake was above the danger mark and officials were forced to release 5,000 cusecs of water into the Adyar river, the other two lakes were almost nearing the danger mark.
On speaking with International Business Times, India, Chennaites shared their difficulties they are going through mainly due to the power cuts across major parts of the city, many found it difficult to carry out day-to-day chores. With the onset of the cyclone and the rain pouring inside the houses, here are a few ordeals shared by people.
An IT professional from Adyar, Mr Balaji stated that 'I was living in true nightmare on Wednesday, I didn't have power for close to 9 hours and even the communication was cut, with trees falling and the power lines gone I found it difficult to even buy food for my family.''
Mr Venkatesan from the lake area in Nungambakkam says that "It was around three in the afternoon when the power supply was cut off. The rainwater actually came up till my waist. In the night the water started coming inside our house."
Inflated food prices and network issues
The heavy rains have also impacted the prices of food in restaurants due to high demand. Restaurants have also decided to surge their prices and reduce the number of orders.
With many restaurants remaining shut and food apps charging extra due to the weather, finding food is not only difficult but also expensive Several citizens have a terrible time purchasing food online or even on the ground as even an idly is now close to Rs 60 in any restaurant.
One of the residents, Mr Selvam from T Nagar said, 'To order a dosa worth ₹80, I had to pay ₹60 surge fee, I have a family of 5 people and ended up paying a fortune for just 5 dosas.
''My father has high BP and needs to take his medicine on time and with many restaurants and vegetable mars shut I had a tough time to find food for my family''. says Mrs Meenakumari from Madipakkam.
Already with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, people have been confined to their homes for the past nine months and found it difficult to carry out daily activities but with Cyclone Nivar the situation has worsened. Many were stuck in their houses with no power and found it difficult to log in for their work from home with no access to the internet.
Cyclone Nivar update:
The aftermath has left a devastating impact on the city of Chennai with 45 per cent of the city has no power supply. The worst affected areas are the areas near the Adyar river and near the Chembarambakkam lake.
At least three people were killed and three others injured when slammed into the southern state and Puducherry early on Thursday, uprooting trees and power lines, officials said. Cyclone Nivar crossed the Tamil Nadu coast with a wind speed of 120-130kmph.
The cyclone uprooted trees in several areas of Chennai even as incidents of wall collapse were reported from some parts of the state. Heavy rains triggered by the storm caused flooding in some streets of Chennai and people were seen walking in knee-deep water in some streets.
Civic body officials said on Twitter that local administration workers have been working to remove fallen trees and power lines. Some residents in south Chennai had parked cars on a bridge over fears of flooding. Tens of thousands of people were evacuated from low-lying areas of Tamil Nadu ahead of the storm's landfall.
