Cyclone Ditwah’s deep depression remains too close to the coast. Heavy rain continues to pound Tiruvallur and other districts on Dec 1st. 56,000 hectares of farmland flooded. Field notes on the devastation, relief camps, and the ongoing mess in Tamil Nadu.
So, the thing is, Ditwah didn’t just vanish. It weakened, sure. It’s a deep depression now, but it’s still hanging around. That’s the problem. It moved north, but it’s barely 40 km off the coast this morning. Still too close for comfort. Let’s be real.
The forecast was right, sadly. Heavy rains just slammed Tiruvallur. And Ranipet, Kancheepuram, Chennai, those too. The remnants of the storm are still fueling this downpour. They’re calling it moderate in other spots, but on the ground, it feels like much more. Chennai had strong winds, high tides. Marina Beach took a visible hit.
The Damage Report (Just Jotting Notes)
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Fatalities: Still three people confirmed dead in rain-related incidents. A tragedy.
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Farmland: Massive devastation. We’re talking 56,000 hectares of farmland flooded across the state. Nagapattinam alone saw 24,000 hectares submerged. That’s the paddy crop gone. And then the losses in Tiruvarur, Mayiladuthurai. It’s devastating for the farmers.
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Huts/Livestock: 234 huts damaged. And 149 livestock deaths reported. You realize the scale of this mess.
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Marooned: A scheduled caste hamlet in Vedaranyam was just sitting in knee-deep water for three days. No power. The drains overflowed. Poor desiltation happened. And then the water followed. A permanent sump, residents are calling it.
The government mobilized. They set up 38 relief camps. Across Pudukkottai, Nagapattinam, Viluppuram. They’ve housed 2,391 people, getting them out of the worst of it. The NDRF and SDRF teams—38 teams total—are on standby. They got ten more teams from other states, which is good.
The Chief Minister will figure out the relief measures. That’s what the Minister said. After the rains subside. So, the decision is pending. The aid is coming. But we’re waiting for the weather to clear first.
The system is supposed to weaken further into a depression by noon today, and then slowly move north, parallel to the coast. Gradually improve. But you see the rain still falling in Tiruvallur right now. It feels like an ongoing, hour-by-hour situation, you know.
I can keep an eye on the forecast for Chennai and Tiruvallur for the next 12 hours, or maybe find more details on how the flooded farmland is impacting the local economy?
End…
