Fishing boats being rushed to Kotturpuram for rescue work

Each boat will be handled by 5 fishermen. Savari, fisherman said “as we have no fishing work due to the inclement weather, this work is opportune as we expect to be paid by the government for the work we do.” The stretch near the Gandhi statue saw hectic today morning with cranes lifting the boats onto lorries to be taken to Kotturpuram.

Thursday being free of rain and with the sun shining, saw the Marina slowly filling with people as most were eager to walk about after being cooped up in their houses for more than three days due to the incessant downpour.

Though areas continued to be waterlogged, rain stopping ensured that traffic was more easy to direct, specially by local volunteers, as witnessed as Pudupet where nearly 50 boys were directing traffic and cutting down the protruding branches of trees to ensure smooth traffic flow.

But the downside was that vehicle fuel was in short supply with most fuel outlets hanging up ‘no stock’ notices in their premises. Fuel tankers being unable to either reaching the filling point or the fuel station to decant fuel, due to rain was stated to be the reason. Similarly, though some shops did open even as early as 7 am, vegetables were in short supply as most shopkeepers on hearing the weather report of rain for the next few days stayed away from procuring fresh stocks. 

Many houses which had booked LPG cylinders were unable to get them due to water logged roads. Gas agencies said the pending backlog due to rain was for 20 days, which was expected to be cleared once loads arrived. 

Another hardship faced by people specially commuters was that ATMs were either not approachable due to water logging and lacked funds to disburse as the torrential rain prevented their replenishment. 

Meanwhile though many families have expressed willingness to take on rain victims – with and without pets – lodges in the city were filled up as continued water logging and forecast of more rain pushed many to seek safety for their families and belonging. While families of flood affected IAS/IPS officers stayed in star hotels, others preferred lodges with the latter raising rates to make a fast buck. Landline and cell phones were on the blink due to power failures in most places.

A few places in the southern coastal areas will receive very heavy rain and inner districts heavy rain. Chennai will be cloudy. The low pressure has made the sea rough and so fishermen were warned against venturing into the sea. The department said that “there is a possibility for rain in Chennai; but one or two places in the surroundings will get moderate rain.”