“Pitch darkness surrounded our homes. There was neither electricity at home nor street lights to guide us. We could not monitor if the rainwater entered our homes. It was scary,” said Tamil Arasan of Tambaram recounting the ordeal faced by him on Wednesday night.
Tamil Arasan spent the whole night gripped by fear since his home was located on the ground floor of the apartment. Memories of Cyclone Vardah and the 2015 Chennai floods haunted him as he lay awake in bed.
Residents of Velachery, Mudichur, Tambaram, Madipakkam, Vyasarpadi, Aminjikarai and Avadi also faced a power cut. The Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) cut power supply as a precaution in the wake of Cyclone Nivar.
Residents of Vyasarpadi situated in North Chennai also experienced a power shutdown till 12pm on Wednesday night. Sasikala, who has a six-year-old daughter and a 65-year-old mother, said that due to the heavy rains, water began surrounding their home in Vyasarpadi.
“The water started surrounding our home but a bus depot near our homes saved us. The water overflowed into the depot. Yet we were scared after listening to the prediction on Tuesday morning, since my home is located on the ground floor and we cannot even go to our relative’s home with a kid amid the pandemic.”
The lack of electricity also cut them off from accessing live updates. “We also had to save phone charge so we could not see the live updates on phone or television. We just prayed that this should not be a repeat of the Cyclone Vardah or Chennai floods,” Sasi said.
While rainwater inundation made people of Vyasarpadi and Velachery areas lose their sleep and gave them an ordeal, the people of Aminjikarai and residents near river Cooum were scared of water entering their homes.
In Aminjikarai, Murthy and his three sons moved to the terrace, fearing a flood like 2015. Murthy said, “We just had one day’s time to pack all our things and move to the terrace. We filled the water tank and stocked essentials. Our home is very near the river Cooum and any spate will result in inundation of our homes and power shutdown added to the worry.”
“We could not check if water level was increasing in Cooum. We all rushed to the terrace and had to spend the night in a small room with rain and mosquitoes. It was a nightmare until we got the electricity back after midnight,” he said.