 "A day after cyclone Vardah, a devastated Chennai limps back to normalcy")
Power may be restored in Chennai by tonight while the outskirts will need to wait for one more day. A day after the cyclone hit the coast in Northern Chennai and Southern Tamil Nadu, the city is trying to limp back to normalcy even as everyday life has been impacted due to a day-long power cut and the resultant water shortage across the city.
Most of the residents in Chennai stayed within their houses following the government's advisory. Uprooted trees and broken branches blocked the roads and destroyed various smaller structures and vehicles parked below them. Further, destroyed electric posts and broken cables disrupted the power supply and communication networks. Tuesday saw people engaged in removing and cleaning the roads and parks. The power supply was stopped over fears of possible accidents due to broken electricity lines and junction boxes below trees, while removing the destroyed vegetation.
Around 2,810 trees have been uprooted due to the cyclone in Chennai alone, said officials. Overall, over 4,000 trees have been uprooted, said Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam on Monday in a statement. The government machinery is working on a war footing to address the issue, added the officials.
According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), 10 people have died due to the cyclone. Rajan Balu of NDMA has said that seven National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, consisting of 40 members per team, are working round the clock along with state authorities to restore the infrastructure of the city. Another 120 members from the force have reached Chennai, and they will be deployed across the city on Tuesday.
Efforts to bring the city, which has lost much of its green cover, back to a normal state have started from Tuesday morning. Schools and colleges in Chennai, Tiruvallur and Kanchipuram districts were shut on the second day, while offices, IT companies and shops were still open. However, many of the offices have not been able to operate since they have no fuel supply for gensets. Several fuel stations have stopped operations due to power shortage and non availability of fuel. Transport services were delayed or cut short due to road blocks, especially in smaller roads.
Communication too was affected on Tuesday in some parts of the city. Many shops on Tuesday have refused to sell against card transactions stating that the point of sales are not working.
Power production at Kalpakkam Nuclear plant, which has a capacity of 440 Mw between its two units, continues to be halted on Tuesday, informed officials.