Extreme Rain Shuts Down Indian City (Round 2)

UPDATED

No Power, No Transport in Chennai

Extreme rain events in India’s Tamil Nadu state, said to be the heaviest the region has experienced in 50 years, have triggered severe flooding forcing the main airport in southern India to close, cutting off roads and highways, and leaving tens of thousands of people stranded.

Chennai [metro pop: 9 million] is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It’s located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal, and is the largest industrial and commercial hub of southern India. It is the country’s fifth-largest city and fourth most populous metro area, and 36th-largest urban area in the world.

Floods in Tamil Nadu state have killed hundreds of people since last month, when 160 hours of non-stop rain paralyzed the city.

About 20 percent of the population have been affecetd, according to local estimates.

The city’s airport was forced to shut down indefinitely on Tuesday after floodwaters buried the runway, according to local reports.

Floodwaters have also inundated railroad tracks, forcing many cancellations.

Ranked 4th in hosting the largest number of Fortune 500 Indian companies, following Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata, with a nominal economy of about US$60 billion, Chennai has a broad industrial base in the automobile, computer, IT, manufacturing and others sectors.

Tropical Cyclone MADI Striking Southern India

MADI packing sustained winds of about 70km/h

MADI [Tropical Cyclone 06B] was located approximately 210km ESE of Chennai, India, [position: 11.9N, 81.5E] tracking southwestward at about 20km/h at 00:30UTC on December 12, 2013, according to JTWC. 

The cyclone was packing sustained winds of about 70km/h gusting up to 90km/h.

The system was generating maximum significant wave height of up to 5m and was being monitored for signs of regeneration.

Tropical Storm MADI – Water Vapor [FIRE-EARTH Enhancement] Satellite image – recorded at 00:30UTC on December 12, 2013. Original Image Source: CIMSS/SSEC/WISC.

Related Links

• Mass Evacuations Ordered as Cyclonic Storm LEHAR Approaches India November 28, 2013
• LEHAR Closing in on Indian Coast November 27, 2013
• Cyclonic Storm LEHAR Strikes Andaman Islands November 25, 2013
• Tropical Cyclone HELEN Striking East India Coast November 21, 2013
• FEWW New Hurricane Scale
• Satellite Imagery

 

Cyclone THANE Kills Dozens, Destroys or Damages Thousands of Homes in India

Strong Cyclone THANE Wreaks Havoc Across India’s Tamil Nadu Province

Cyclone THANE struck the Tamil Nadu coast, leaving at least 2 dozen dead and causing extensive damage across the Cuddalore district and the Union Territory of Puduchery.

Disaster Calendar 2011 – December 30

[December 30, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,538 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Tamil Nadu, India.Cyclone THANE struck the Tamil Nadu coast with winds of up to 140kmh, leaving at least 2 dozen people dead and causing extensive damage across the Cuddalore district and the Union Territory of Puduchery.
  • At least 5,000 coastal homes have been damaged or destroyed.
  • Thousands of trees have been uprooted.
  • Cuddalore district in Tamil Nadu is the worst-hit area, with roads severely damaged.
  • The Union Territory of Puduchery is cut-off from the nearby districts, reports said.

Cyclone THANE. IR-NHC Enhancement. Source: CIMSS

• Thailand. Official death toll from epic flooding in Thailand has climbed to 790 with three people still missing (!)
  • Floods affected up to 14 million people across 66 of Thailand’s 76 provinces.
  • Up to 1.5 million homes have been destroyed or damaged.
  • The government estimates overall flood-related damage at  Bt1,300bn ($41.4bn), a report said.
  • Flooding, which began in late July, still persists in the provinces of Ayutthaya, Lop Buri, Nakhon Pathom, Nonthaburi and Pathum Thani affecting up to 2.5 million people.
  • Thai government also declared cold spell disaster zones in 26 northern and northeastern provinces in November.

Global Disaster Links

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities  (EDRO Forecast)
• 2011 Much More Disastrous: FIRE-EARTH Forecast
• Global Disasters in 2011 Could Impact 1/3 to 1/2 of the Human Population  (FIRE-EARTH Forecast)
• Back to the Primordial Future
• Mass Die-offs  (FIRE-EARTH Forecast)

• 2010 Disasters [Includes Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters: 2011 SIX TIMES MORE DISASTROUS THAN 2010
• 2011 Disaster Calendar