He said Andhra Pradesh had sought Rs 1,000 crore as interim relief and soon a central team will visit the state.
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Heavy rains and floody streets grimed Chennaites on Thursday as the deluge turned the city and neighbouring areas into an island by disrupting road, rail and air links and creating chaos for the locals in the region.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa last evening and assured all help from the Centre.
Residents and officials admitted that nearly everyone in Chennai had been affected one way or the other by the devastating floods caused by torrential rains.
Most of those still trapped were either the elderly or people with very young children. “Tomorrow too, probably”, said an official at Daimler India, which produces commercial vehicles outside Chennai.
More rain fell on the city in one day than in the United Kingdom in an entire year, with a record 49 cm of rainfall in Tambaram in 24 hours, from 8.30 a.m. on Tuesday. Hardly any inter-state buses have plied in the last few days and even highways leading out of Chennai have become unusable.
In the wake of incessant rainfall in Chennai, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deployed additional teams to help the rescue operation there. The Airport Authority of India said that the airport is likely to be closed until Sunday.
Several parts of Anna Salai were under water.
The national forecaster said rains may continue to lash India’s fourth-largest city this week, threatening further disruption in a hub for automobile manufacturing and information technology services as the army and navy step up rescue efforts. Most mobile networks were down in the city and food supplies running low.
The Tamil Nadu government has issued an advisory to private undertakings to permit their staff to avail holidays today and tomorrow or work from home, as is done by many IT and other companies.
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As a part of the rescue operations, 4 helicopters, had supplied the food, water and medicines, while a few of the fishing boats, commandeered by the military, collected the stranded residents.
