In Chennai, cars were swept away as floodwater flowed through the streets.
Chennai:
Cyclone Michaung live updates: Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are on high alert with severe storm, Cyclone Michaung, expected to make landfall today. Both states have been hit by heavy rains and thunderstorms in the last 24 hours. Five people died in rain-related incidents in Chennai. Two people died of electrocution while one was killed after a tree fell on him in the upmarket Besant Nagar area of the city, police said.
In Chennai, cars were swept away as floodwater flowed through the streets, while its airport, one of the busiest in India, shut operations until Tuesday morning.
A severe cyclonic storm has the potential to cause uprooting of small and medium trees, large-scale damage to hutments and mud houses, and partial damage to telephone and electric poles.
Here are the LIVE updates on Cyclone Michaung and Chennai Rains:
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The Indian Railways has geared up its entire machinery in a big way to ensure and manage smooth and safe railway operations in the areas likely to be affected by the cyclonic storm ‘Michaung’.
The Indian Railways, as part of its preparedness for cyclone-related disaster management, has set up an emergency control cell at the divisional/HQ level with officers from operating, commercial, engineering, electrical, signal/telecommunications, security, etc. branches in each shift to monitor around the clock and take necessary action in connection with train operations.
Several areas of Chennai were submerged in knee-deep water and there have been power outages since Monday morning, evoking memories of December 2015 when around 290 people died after catastrophic floods.
With severe Cyclone Michaung poised for landfall shortly, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has directed officials to be on high alert for taking up relief measures.