Journalist, Political Analyst, Actor Cho Ramaswamy Passed Away!

Cho

Cho'Ramaswamy, a senior journalist, political analyst and actor, died on Wednesday at Apollo Hospital in Chennai, an official said. He was 82.

A former BJP Rajya Sabha member, Mr Ramaswamy was ailing for some time and was in the hospital.

He founded and edited the political magazine Thuglak and was fearless in criticising the ruling government in the state or at the centre.

Mr Ramaswamy had personal rapport with many politicians in the country. Late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa was a good friend of Mr Ramaswamy and used to seek his views.

 

A multi-faceted personality Mr Ramaswamy was also a play writer and a stage actor. He has also directed several movies and was also a screen play writer.

Mr Ramaswamy has acted in movies along with MG Ramachandran, Sivaji Ganesan, Jayalalithaa, Kamal Hassan, Rajinikanth and others.

He has written, directed and acted in over 20 Tamil plays which were performed over 5,000 times, acted in 180 movies scripted 14 movies, directed four films.

He is survived by wife, son and daughter.

Mr. & Mrs. Cho | Jayalalitha

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited Mr Ramaswamy when he was critically ill early this year, tweeted, "Cho Ramaswamy was a multidimensional personality, towering intellectual, great nationalist & fearless voice who was respected and admired."

Singapore Government contribute 75k USD to Tamilnadu Flood!

SINGAPORE: The Singapore Government will commit US$75,000 as seed contribution to the Singapore Red Cross' South Asia Floods 2015 public appeal, following devastating floods in the Chennai and other parts of Tamil Nadu. 

In a letter to Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu J Jayalalithaa on Saturday (Dec 5), Singapore Minister of Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan said he was saddened by hundreds of lives lost and disrupted due to the severe flooding in South India.

"Like many Singaporeans, I hope that the floods will recede soon.  I am confident that normalcy will return to your state in the near future under your leadership," he wrote.

Dr Balakrishnan added that he hoped the Singapore Government's contribution to the fund would be able to help those affected.

"We hope that this will be of some assistance to those affected by the floods, and demonstrate Singapore’s solidarity with the people of Tamil Nadu during this difficult period," Dr Balakrishnan said.

Chennai airport shut, 700 passengers stranded, more heavy rain predicted!

All operations at Chennai airport have been stopped for rest of the day and 22 trains to and from Chennai have been cancelled.

All operations at Chennai airport have been stopped for rest of the day.

Heavy rains continue to cripple Chennai and parts of Tamil Nadu in what is being called the worst rain in a century. All operations at Chennai airport have been stopped for rest of the day and 22 trains to and from Chennai have been cancelled.

In the wake of the flood alert issued in parts of Tamil Nadu, the Chennai Corporation on Tuesday announced emergency contact numbers for all the regional zones in the city. With the MET predicting more rain in the next four days, the state government issued a flood alert today.

People in several flood affected areas in south Chennai were evacuated to safer places on emergency basis. Chennai Collector E. Sundaravalli has appealed to families living along the Adyar river to move to safer places after the state government released 20,000 cubic feet per second of water from Chembarambakkam reservoir into Adyar.

Power supply was snapped in Perungudi area due to a sudden increase in water level. Water logging was also reported in Guindy. Next 10-12 hours are crucial for Chennai as the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) predicts heavy rains in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry for next 4 days. "Heavy rain accompanied by strong winds may make the situation worse in Chennai," the IMD said.

[thanks to IndiaToday]

Chennai floods: Once again, social media is helping Indians while the government flounders!

#CHENNAIRAINSHELP - Twitter HashTag

Chennai, in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is battling its worst rains in a century. Over the last month, the capital city has been transformed from a bustling hub of over 4.5 million people to a partly submerged wreck.

Already 188 people have died in Tamil Nadu due to rain-related incidents, and thousands have been forced to evacuate from their homes. “State police, fire and rescue services, state and national disaster response forces and coast guard are ready to rescue people using boats,” Tamil Nadu chief minister, J.Jayalalithaa, said yesterday (Dec. 1). “Adequate precautionary measures are being taken to protect people.”

But as the government flounders, ordinary citizens are coming together on social media to either send or seek help. The online effo

rt is similar to what happened in March 2015, when the north Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir was hit by massive floods. People who wanted help, or could help, used #KashmirFloods to connect on Twitter and Facebook.

Since yesterday, #ChennaiRainsHelp and #ChennaiFloods have become among the most used hashtags on Twitter in India, utilised to offer shelter, food, transport, and even mobile recharges.

A crowdsourced effort to map inundated roads in Chennai has been undertaken on social media. Over 2,400 flooded roads have been added to the city’s map, which was put together by engineer and information designer, Arun Ganesh.

Another week of heavy rain approaching Chennai, Tamilnadu!

Chennai

The Northeast Monsoon that brings bulk of rain in Tamil Nadu is likely to revive over the state in next 24-48 hours. Bountiful rains are in forecast for Chennai, Tamil Nadu which may again bring the flood threat over the state.

Peninsular India observes very good rain during the Northeast Monsoon season, particularly Tamil Nadu. In fact the state being a rain shadow area, receives more rains during the Northeast Monsoon season as compared to the Southwest Monsoon season.

According to the data available with Skymet Meteorology Division in India, the coastal areas of the state receive 60% of their annual rainfall during the Northeast Monsoon period, while the interiors observe 50% of their annual rainfall. During the four-month long period (June to September) of Southwest Monsoon, Tamil Nadu receives only 317 mm of rain, while the Northeast Monsoon season from October to December gives a good 438 mm of rain in the state.

Rainfall during the Northeast Monsoon depends on atmospheric systems. Also the El Nino plays an important role in enhancing rainfall activity during this period. While its impact on the Southwest Monsoon is adverse. This time around Northeast Monsoon is expected to end with 111% rainfall of the LPA, with a probability of 88%.

Characteristic of NE Monsoon Rains

During the Northeast Monsoon season, weather systems like low pressure areas and cyclonic circulations move in lower latitudes of Bay of Bengal and reach the state across southwest Bay.

Unlike the Southwest Monsoon, where the weather systems are spread well, the Northeast Monsoon observes a sequence of weather systems. These weather systems have a characteristic of giving rain for three to four days and thereafter taking a break for a couple of days.

Rainfall in Tamil Nadu in November

Meanwhile, the state with 485 mm of rain so far has already exceeded the seasonal average of 438 mm. In November alone the state has received 352 mm of rain, which is more than the monthly average of 170 mm.

The state capital Chennai has also witnessed some very heavy rains this time. In fact, the city has received 1186 mm of rain in the month of November so far, which is three times the monthly average of 407 mm. On five occasions in November Chennai recorded three digit 24 hour rainfall. The highest being 265 mm between November 15 and 16.

Such heavy rains are not uncommon during this season. However, these spells are not sudden and can be forecast.

And with one more month of active Northeast Monsoon left, the rainfall figures in the state are expected to really shoot up. Also the cyclones which form in the Bay of Bengal have a tendency to move towards Tamil Nadu during December and give heavy to very heavy rain, particularly along the coast.

Another Heavy Spell Approaching

Meanwhile, from November 29 another spell of heavy rain is going to hit the state, particularly southern parts of Tamil Nadu. A low pressure area supported by a cyclonic circulation in the south-west Bay of Bengal will give this rain. According to meteorologists at Skymet, this system will move very slowly and stay in the region for some time. The period of intense rain would be between December 1 and December 3.

[thanks to skymet]

Fresh spell of heavy rain approaching Tamilnadu!

Current situation of Chennai 

During the month of November, many areas of Tamil Nadu have received torrential rains. Record breaking rain has been witnessed in many parts of the state. For instance, the capital city, Chennai has broken a century old rainfall record for November.

However, in the last 48 hours, very little rain has occurred over Tamil Nadu, which is a huge relief from the deluge being witnessed by the state. This weather condition can be attributed to the dry north-easterly winds, which are cutting off the moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal. Also, easterly waves have been weak leading to a significant decrease in rainfall activity and cloud cover.

Almost dry weather conditions will continue for another 48 hours due to which flood waters will recede from various parts of the state. Also, rescue operations will undergo smoothly under dry weather conditions.

Fresh Spell of Rain Expected:

However, on the darker side, a fresh cyclonic circulation, which is over South Andaman Sea will induce a low-pressure area. This system will move in a west-north-west direction towards the Sri Lanka coast.

By 28th evening, heavy rain will commence over the southern parts of Tamil Nadu. The rainfall activity will gradually spread over other coastal areas including the state capital, Chennai and its adjoining areas. By November 29, heavy to very heavy rain is expected over most parts of Coastal Tamil Nadu. During this period, Interior Tamil Nadu will continue to receive light to moderate rainfall activity.

Thereafter, another cyclonic circulation is likely to emerge over the same area but it will move towards the Andhra Coast and give rain over Andhra Pradesh by December 2.

[thanks to skymet]

Flood Alert Issued in Tamilnadu's Cuddalore District!

Pennar River

The Cuddalore district administration in Tamil Nadu has issued a flood warning for those along the banks of River Pennar. With many reservoirs filling up after heavy rain due to the North East monsoon, 500 cusecs of water is being released from the Sathanur Dam.

"These waters and the rain we may receive could lead to floods. It is a caution for those on the banks not to be there because the currents could be dangerous," said Gagandeep Singh Bedi, Revenue Secretary who oversees relief and rescue operations.

"We are also widening the mouth of the river at the sea so that there would be a smooth flow without inundating the town," the senior official added.

Earlier this month, Cuddalore bore the brunt of a deep depression as it made its landfall in the district. At least 43 people died due to rain related incidents in the district.

[thanks to NDTV]

176 Dead in Tamilnadu, More Rain Expected!

Rain at TN

The number of deaths in rain-related incidents in Tamil Nadu has gone up to 176. It has been raining in the state for the last two weeks and more rain has been forecast in the next 24 to 48 hours.

Seven more deaths were reported from across the state since yesterday, while there was a let up in rainfall in most areas of the state since last evening, including Chennai.

Five people died yesterday while two deaths were reported from the state today.

The meteorological department said rain or thundershowers would occur at a few places over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, coastal Karnataka, Kerala and Lakshadweep in the next 24-48 hours.

For Chennai and its neighbourhood, skies would be cloudy and there may be rain or thundershowers in some areas, it said.

It has been raining in Tamil Nadu for two weeks now.

Papanasam in Tiruneveli district received heavy rainfall of 10 cm, while Rameswaram, Cheranmahadevi and Coonoor received least rainfall of one cm each, the Met office said.

Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa condoled the death of seven persons and announced a compensation of Rs.four lakh each to their next of kin from the disaster relief fund.

The chief minister had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 23, pegging the flood damage at Rs. 8,481 crore, and urged him to immediately release Rs.2,000 crore to sustain relief work.

[thanks to NDTV]