Tamil Nadu Floods: PM Modi Calls CM MK Stalin To Take Account Of Rescue And Relief Work

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin in a post on the micro-blogging site X (formerly Twitter) said Prime Minister Narendra Modi called him and took account of the rescue and relief work going on in the flood-hit state caused due to Cyclone Michaung.

"Hon'ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi called me to inquire about the unprecedented floods in Southern Tamil Nadu, immediately after Cyclone Michaung. I have explained to him the massive rescue and relief efforts undertaken by the State government, despite resource constraints, and sought immediate financial support from the Union government. Prime Minister has assured the support of the Union government to overcome these twin calamities and conveyed that he has deputed Hon'ble Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to assess the flood situation", tweets Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin.

According to the reports, the heavy downpour in Tamil Nadu's four districts, namely Tuticorin, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, and Kanyakumari, claimed 31 lives and wreaked havoc on state infrastructure and communication systems. Till December 25, more than 50,000 people have been rescued who were stranded due to heavy waterlogging with the help of NDRF, SDRF, and other state authorities.

Tamil Nadu witnessed heavy rains on Dec 17 and Dec 18 which broke all records in the state's history. State Congress president SS Alaigiri lauded the government's preparedness and swift rescue actions. He said CM Stalin deployed many ministers and IAS officers to take adequate measures to bring things in order in these districts.

Earlier, the state minister Mano Thangaraj held the India Meteorological Department (IMD) responsible for not providing correct weather updates on time. He said delayed forecasts reports made it difficult for the state government to respond and provide help to the stranded. In a tweet, minister Thangaraj said, "A significant issue was the time discrepancy in the weather alerts. The gap between the issuance of the Red Alert and the actual flooding was much shorter than what could have been ideal as some Western models exhibit in those countries."