With the memories of the 2015 floods, Chennai city has been bracing up for severe devastation as heavy rainfall, the prefix of Cyclone Nivar, had inundated every street and important roads of the city, pushing the residents to face major disruptions in their normal lives. 

The visuals from various parts of the city had captured the struggles and plight endured by thousands of people in meeting the fresh challenges as the rainwater had submerged their homes. The residents have been facing disturbances due to the incessant rainfall and a flood warning and they have been pushed to evacuate their residences and to find a temporary shelter amid the inundation. The power supply in several parts has been suspended. Chennai has been recording heavy to very heavy rainfall since Tuesday as Cyclone Nivar is approaching to make landfall on the night hours of Wednesday - November 25. 

Cyclone Nivar has intensified into a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm and is centered 90 kilometers from Cuddalore, 150 kilometers from Puducherry, and 220 kilometers from Chennai. According to the latest bulletin issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the cyclone is expected to make landfall between Karaikal and Mahabalipuram by November 25 at midnight or in the early hours of November 26. 

The bulletin was issued on Wednesday at 4.30 pm and IMD had stated that Nivar has been moving at a speed of 16 kilometers per hour for the past six hours till 2.30 pm on Wednesday. The bulletin further stated that the cyclone will move northwest direction and will cross Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts between Karaikal and Mamallapuram during mid-night of 25th and early hours of 26th November as a very severe cyclonic storm with a maximum wind speed between 145 to 150 kmph. 

The IMD said that the cyclone would be severe for about six hours after making landfall following which it will get weakened. During the course of landfall, the districts of Ranipet, Vellore, Thiruvannamalai, Tirupattur in Tamil Nadu will receive extremely heavy rainfall while the remaining districts of north interior Tamil Nadu will be receiving very heavy rainfall. As the cyclone is fast approaching to make landfall in Chennai, the city has been witnessing incessant rainfall and the government has initiated precautionary measures and relief operations.  

Ahead of landfall, Chennai Traffic police had closed all major roads in the city and said that roads will remain closed until further notice and the movements of emergency vehicles, rescue, and relief operations will only be allowed. The closed roads include the East Coast Road (ECR), Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR), and Kamaraj Salai that runs parallel to Marina Beach. 

Chennai Airport has suspended its operations from 7 pm on Wednesday to 7 am on Thursday and the airport had said that the decision of suspending the services has been taken with the view of ensuring the safety of passengers. According to reports, the public transports had already been suspended by the state government while the Southern Railways had suspended Chennai suburban trains and 27 trains connecting Chennai to the major cities in the state until further notice. 

Chennai Metro railway services will be suspended by 8 pm on Wednesday. The reports say that the Army has deployed 14 rescue teams across Tamil Nadu to carry out timely relief and evacuation. So far, 30,000 people have been evacuated from Tamil Nadu while 7,000 people have been evacuated from Puducherry. 

While Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami had declared a public holiday on Wednesday, the Chief Minister has on Wednesday announced a public holiday for 16 districts on Thursday. While he had announced a public holiday for 13 districts initially, the government had then declared a public holiday for 16 districts in total on Thursday. The districts of Thanjavur, Thiruvannamalai, Cuddalore, Tiruvarur, Kancheepuram, Chennai, Chengalpattu, Ariyalur, Thiruvallur, Perambalur, Kallakurichi, Villupuram, Vellore, Ranipet, Tirupattur, and Nagapattinam districts will have a public holiday on Thursday. 

While the government had permitted the operations of essential services, the state government has ordered to close the offices including local bodies, government undertakings, corporations, and financial institutions across the state. Chennai Corporation and the city police department have been deploying relief measures to address emergencies and assistance. The Chennai police had issued a helpline number to the residents to reach in case of reporting any emergency and grievances. The residents are asked to contact '9498181239'. The Chennai Corporation has arranged 169 relief centers across the city to accommodate the evacuated people and relief works.