Cyclone Michaung: Stranded Residents Struggle Without Water, Power, Connectivity Across Chennai

The residents of Madipakkam, Velachery, Perungudi, Perumbakkam, Perambur and many other areas have continually raised requests for assistance and boat services to move to safety. 

People wade through a flooded road after heavy rainfall owing to Cyclone Michaung in Chennai ( Image Source :PTI )

Cyclone Michaung wreaked havoc in Chennai, disrupting normal life and leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. The aftermath of the cyclone has plunged parts of the city into chaos, with widespread water inundation, power outages, and a lack of electricity and mobile connectivity. As a result, several people have been stranded without essential resources such as food and water and desperately need assistance.

The residents continue to remain in the dark for 72 hours with water entering several homes. The residents of Madipakkam, Velachery, Perungudi, Perumbakkam, Perambur and many other areas have continually raised requests for assistance and boat services to move to safety. 

The Indian Air Force has been pressed into service to drop food and water in Velachery, Manapakkam and other areas.  

On Wednesday, people formed long queues to buy milk across the city since milk was reportedly unavailable at many places. Many people also queued in service centers to repair their two-wheelers and cars affected by the flood. 

Following this, a few celebrities have taken to criticising the 'mismanagement' of the government. 

Taking to X, music director Santhosh Narayanan said. "10+ continuous years of flooding with weeks of at least knee-deep water and power cuts for at least 100 hours in our locality during every year is our harsh reality. This year is setting new benchmarks already. Funnily enough, it is neither historically a lake nor a 'low lying' area. We have loads of open land and more active ponds than any other area in Chennai, suitably named Kolapakkam."

"Just pure negligence, mismanagement and greed has led to extreme dumping of rainwater and sewage into just one irrigation canal that swells like a river every single time and has really hit our residents," he said. 

 

10+ continuous years of flooding with weeks of at least knee deep water and power cuts for atleast 100 hours in our locality during every year is our harsh reality. This year is setting new benchmarks already. Funnily enough, it is neither historically a lake nor a 'low lying'…

— Santhosh Narayanan (@Music_Santhosh) December 5, 2023

Actor Keerthi Pandian said, "This is Mylapore, off Radhakrishnan Salai near Vivekananda college. NO ONE has come to clear the water here. It’s been like this since yesterday, and by the minute more sewage water is coming out and getting mixed. Water has entered all the houses at ground floor level here. Please do something about this and other parts of Mylapore."