Cyclone Michaung: 5 dead, flight operations suspended as landfall expected around noon tomorrow

He urged representatives of local bodies and members of various government departments to participate in relief activities during these challenging times actively.

The Tamil Nadu government on December 4 announced the closure of educational institutions, government offices, and banks in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, and Chengalpattu districts tomorrow as heavy rains continued to pound Chennai and nearby districts under the impact of Cyclone 'Michaung'.

The Andhra Pradesh government has issued an alert for eight districts -- Tirupati, Nellore, Prakasam, Bapatla, Krishna, West Godavari, Konaseema, and Kakinada as the severe cyclone is expected to make landfall by the Bapatla coast around noon on December 5. The winds are expected to blow gales reaching speeds of up to 110 kilometres per hour. The weather system is expected to persist till Thursday and thereafter become a deep depression and subside.

Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General, IMD said that it is a severe cyclonic storm. "We have given fishermen to not venture into the sea till December 6. A red alert has been issued for north coastal Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Yanam," he said.

Thirty-three flights from Chennai were diverted today to Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) due to adverse weather conditions.  According to officials of Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) that operates KIA, both domestic as well as international flights including that of Indigo, SpiceJet, Etihad, Lufthansa, and Gulf Air were diverted to the city from Chennai, where many flights were also cancelled.

Here are the top developments of Cyclone Michaung: 

-- The production of Apple iPhones at the Foxconn facility near Chennai has been halted temporarily due to intense rainfall, reports said.

-- The Chennai Airport Authority has suspended flight operations till 9 am tomorrow because of the "adverse weather conditions". The Chennai airport was forced to suspend operations today due to heavy rains. The runway and tarmac also remained shut due to waterlogging, the Airport Authority of India said.

-- Greater Chennai Police say five deaths have occurred due to various reasons including electrocution and falling of trees, as the city reels under the effect of the cyclone.

-- The IMD said cyclone Michuang will cross the south Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Machilipatnam close to Bapatla during the forenoon of December 5 as a 'severe cyclonic storm'.

-- Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said around 181 relief camps have been set up in eight districts of the state.

-- Over 15 locations in Chennai received over 20 cms of rain, with Perungudi recording the highest at 29.16 cms. Chengalpet district and Avadi in Thiruvallur district also experienced heavy rainfall, with 27.6 cms being recorded in Avadi and 22.04 cms in Mahabalipuram within the last 24 hours.

-- Tamil Nadu CM Stalin informed 725 personnel from police, fire, and rescue, State Disaster Response Force, and National Disaster Response Force are executing relief measures in affected areas. Out of them, 250 personnel were solely engaged in relief and rehabilitation efforts in Chennai. Additionally, 1,929 electricity pumps were employed to remove water from inundated areas in rain-affected districts.

Watch | Chennai hit by heavy rains; cars swept away, airport shut down. Videos

--Services such as milk supply, water supply, hospitals, power, hotels, and offices engaged in disaster response, relief, and rescue activities are instructed to operate as usual, a government order said.

--The state government has requested private companies to permit their employees to work from home.

See Pics | Cyclone Michaung: Airport to remain shut, streets flooded as rain batters Chennai

--In Andhra Pradesh, authorities had evacuated nearly 7,000 people in eight coastal districts and were preparing to evacuate a total of 28,000, depending on the cyclone's path and severity.

-- In Tamil Nadu, a total of 236 relief camps have been set up across eight locations, providing food, water, and other basic amenities to 9,634 individuals to date.

-- Till now, the Indian Army has rescued and assisted 300 citizens to safety after flooding in the Mugalivakkam and Manapakkam areas of Chennai in Tamil Nadu.

-- The Railway Ministry has set up an emergency control cell in Chennai and a war room at the Rail Bhawan in New Delhi among various other measures to meet the challenges posed by the cyclonic storm Michaung'. The ministry has also activated a war room at the board level to monitor all locations around the clock and nominated safety counsellors in each shift to assist with emergency control.