Chennai braces up for 'emergency' as city witnesses record rains in last 48 hours

New Delhi: With the awful memories of the last year's floods still fresh in their mind, people in Chennai have begun preparations to tackle the worst situation in coming days.  

The MeT Department has issued a cyclone alert for north Tamil Nadu and south coastal Andhra Pradesh, predicting heavy rainfall in the next 48 hours.

The reports say that the local civic body has deployed over 1000 officials to handle any emergency situation. Teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been kept on stand-by with boats to handle any flood-like situation. 

Heavy rainfall will continue in Tamil Nadu, coastal Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry during the next 24 hours, the weather department had said in a release.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) earlier said that a depression over southwest Bay of Bengal will move 90 km east of Chennai and 70 km of the coast in few hours.

According to the IMD, wind speed reaching 55-65 km per hour gusting to 75 km per hour would prevail along and off north Tamil Nadu and Puducherry during the next 24 hours and south Andhra Pradesh coast during next 48 hours.

Fishermen are advised not to venture into the sea as sea condition will be very rough during the next 48 hours.