Tamil Nadu government reviews preparedness for North East monsoon

The Minister, who reviewed the preparedness ahead of the monsoon season which is usually active between October and December, said of the proposed 121 multipurpose evacuation shelters (MPES) across the state, 115 had already been set up.

The monsoon in the previous two years had wrecked havoc in various parts of the state, especially the capital which witnessed an unprecedented deluge in December 2015.

In December last year, cyclone 'Vardah' caused heavy damage to Chennai, Cuddalore and Tiruvallur districts.

An official release on the review meet said coastal towns and districts including Cuddalore and Ramanathapuram would have the majority of evacuation centres.

The MPES designed with separate rooms for accommodation, medical examination would also have kitchen facilities, an official release said.

The Minister said 3,172 relief centres had also been identified as accommodation for people living in vulnerable areas.

The government would soon issue orders for the formation of a dedicated Tamil Nadu Disaster Response Force with a strength of 1,000 police personnel for which Rs 14.59 crore would be allocated for purchase of equipment apart from Rs 41 lakh for capacity building.

Committees for search and rescue, first aid, shelter and relief were also formed at community level in coastal areas.

The Tamil Nadu government said women volunteers were also included in the first responders team, who would be trained by Fire and Rescue department, Red Cross Society.

Oil companies were instructed to stock adequate quantity of diesel while mobile operators were also directed to ensure adequate back-up arrangements.

Hospitals were also advised to make power back-up arrangements particularly to Intensive Care Units and Critical Care Units.

Schools and colleges were also instructed to check electricity connections, clean and close open drains, if any among others.

For Tamilnadu, North-East monsoon is the main rainy season accounting for about 48 per cent of the annual rainfall. Coastal districts of the State get nearly 60 per cent of the annual rainfall and the interior districts get about 40-50 per cent of the annual rainfall.