Heavy rain and strong gusts of wind are lashing Chennai as cyclone Vardah is expected to make landfall in the afternoon. The Tamil Nadu government issued an advisory on Sunday asking people to stay indoors, stock adequate food and keep their emergency lights and phones charged.
Even so, some residents seemed unaware of the cyclone, while others told TNM that they couldn't help but venture out for work.
So far, water has accumulated on some roads in and around Chennai, even as traffic remains sparse. However, there was a traffic jam at Parrys.
Trees appear to have been uprooted and fallen over in various parts like Pudupakkam and Nanganallur.
As per the latest update, Chennai has recorded wind speeds of 75 km/hr and is inching towards 100mm rainfall since Monday morning, said weather blogger, Tamil Nadu Weatherman.
The Eastern Naval Command is on standby, ready to carry out relief operations if need be. Apart from being prepared for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations, their ships are equipped with additional divers, doctors, inflatable rubber boats, integral helicopters and relief material that includes food, tentage, clothes, medicines and blankets, among other things, in quantities sufficient to sustain over 5,000 people.
13 NDRF teams have also been deployed for dealing with the after-effects of the cyclone.
Check out the photos and videos so far.
Water accumulating on the road at Anna Salai:
Suganthi sent this pic of a rooster who had taken refuge on a tree from last night. Cyclone #Vardah pic.twitter.com/Gd62xTCAaz
— TheNewsMinute (@thenewsminute) December 12, 2016
Kandanchavadi:
Saidapet:
Adyar river, Saidapet:
A traffic jam at Parrys:
Nanganallur:
Photo by Sriram Mahadevan
Velachery:
Provident Cosmocity, Pudupakkam:
Photo by Satheesh Reddy
@chitraSD @thenewsminute the first ones to get damaged, building scaffoldings, are down across #Chennai. This is from #Tiruvanmiyur #Vardah pic.twitter.com/WIpi7I0gmz
— R.K.Radhakrishnan (@RKRadhakrishn) December 12, 2016
Koyambedu:
Jagadambal colony, Royalpettah:
Police removing the tree at Jagadambal colony
(This is a developing story.)