Chennai floods

Paul · Post by **Paul** » 07 Dec 2015 22:30

Dhanya Rajendran ‏@dhanyarajendran 4h4 hours ago
We need help. Badly need volunteers to go to Sree Rama Marriage Hall, behind Palmgrove hotel. To pack food. Urgent. #ChennaiRainsHelp

uddu · Post by **uddu** » 07 Dec 2015 22:46

Seems there is one such technique.
https://cbsdallas.files.wordpress.com/2 ... 360&crop=1

Only one International News agency has reported it
Khaleej Times

Even domestic channels reported it today few hours before.

Vinu · Post by **Vinu** » 07 Dec 2015 23:09

Got the below link via Whatsapp. It has very good pictures of IAF helicopters and first hand experience from a public point of view.

https://www.quora.com/How-does-it-feel- ... ayank-Rasu

I am sorry if it is already posted.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 07 Dec 2015 23:53

Whatever Allah or Ram or Heysus wants to do has been done to Chennai now. Temples are created and run for social purpose. There are norms in any society and no practice is wide open free.

SwamyGin is right. INTOLERANCE is on the rise.

they have to be told and warned. It is better they fight outside the temple than inside. We dont need another disaster.

IOW, ASK THEM TO LEAVE THE PREMISE.
Fine the organizers and arrest them to prevent intolerance.

Is it a snapshot of history redux in a short timespan needs analysis

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 08 Dec 2015 06:35

SwamyG, the Towheed-Jama'at volunteers are preparing food inside the Parthasarathy Temple premises for distribution. The temple has opened its doors for them.

Similarly, there is another story. A Hindu woman in labour pain was able to SOS request for evacuation. Mohammed Younus, a volunteer who works in a MNC, took a boat there, rescued her and took her to the hospital for a safe delivery. The couple have decided to name the boy Younus. The Sr Younus said that he was overwhelmed. It was on ToI print edition yesterday.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 08 Dec 2015 09:00

Younus Chidambaram Zachariah Motilal Singh Sharma? I did not understand SaiK's post, but it seems like a time of calamity is a good time to welcome those in need of safety, and those who would help without making a fuss. Anyone who brings divisive cr*p during such times should be tossed into the Adyar.

ArmenT · Post by **ArmenT** » 08 Dec 2015 09:47

Singha wrote:actually I was wondering if the ndrf people reached there by boat, why they did not take her by boat to hospital or a proper helipad.

Apparently there have been some language communication issues, which makes working with the locals a bit hard, which was acknowledged by the gent in charge of NDRF, one Maj. Gen. Anurag.

However, a friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend in T.Nagar had some real bad things to say about them. Apparently NDRF guys showed up at their neighborhood and plenty of people could communicate with them just fine, but apparently their fancy boat wasn't much use and they only came to take selfies/pictures with kids for the press and then took off the moment it got dark!

Note: Not my allegation, just reporting 4th hand.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 08 Dec 2015 10:07

could this be the main road in adyar?
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnnnext/dam/as ... er-169.jpg

svenkat · Post by **svenkat** » 08 Dec 2015 10:13

Javee · Post by **Javee** » 08 Dec 2015 10:36

Singha wrote:could this be the main road in adyar?
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnnnext/dam/as ... er-169.jpg

That's the new hip area in Chennai.. Velachery Main Road at Velachery.

Gus · Post by **Gus** » 08 Dec 2015 11:26

Folks in chennai - please don't be gethu and be prudent enough to drink water that is boiled and wash hands and feet often. Sewage mixing and decomposing stuff make the stagnant water very dangerous plus the sheer density of people mixing with each other

kmkraoind · Post by **kmkraoind** » 08 Dec 2015 11:43

Chennai Rains: What The World Must Learn From India

A close friend living in the Silicon Valley was in panic because his wife and infant daughter were stranded in Chennai and were inaccessible. Their house was in a low-lying area. He went on the crowdsourcing site, picked up the number of a random person (a complete stranger) who he thought lived in the same area as his wife did, and called him. It was 1 a.m. in India.

The stranger not only responded to the call but immediately offered to search for my friend’s wife and daughter and report back on their safety. He waded through chest-deep water, which was contaminated because sewer lines had burst open, for an hour to locate the woman and the infant. They were safe but were without milk and other necessities. He then again waded through sewage water located a pharmacy, got some dried milk powder and water bottles, returned and gave it to them. He had been soaking in sewage water for nearly four hours by then. He then called my friend to report on their safety.
....
Hindu traditions have always taught that we are obligated to everyone else in this world. They called this obligation ṛṇa. An expression of charity, called dāna, is how ṛṇa is fulfilled. I can say with pride that Indians, regardless of how well-read or articulate they are, have internalized these great ideals. That is what inspires them to act spontaneously and selflessly when Mother Nature overwhelms our ephemeral existence.
....
Army officials remarked that Chennai is the only place where they saw more volunteers than victims!

Prasad · Post by **Prasad** » 08 Dec 2015 12:23

Singha wrote:could this be the main road in adyar?
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnnnext/dam/as ... er-169.jpg

Velachery. This area has been flood prone for ages. But hey, who cares.

Latest bit of nonsense amidst all the genuine help is the usual idiots - Girls/ladies who volunteered and gave their numbers to a common list to help people out are being harassed over phone and whatsapp. The depths some people plumb to is unbelievable. Just WTF !

Also, to those who are opposed to muslims inside the temple, many mosques took in people in their areas without conditions. I saw some comments on twitter saying temples have to be cleaned with milk for letting these people inside. I mean WTF man.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 08 Dec 2015 12:40

well atleast there are no reports of looting and pillage...

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 08 Dec 2015 14:41

Prasad wrote:
Singha wrote:could this be the main road in adyar?
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnnnext/dam/as ... er-169.jpg
Velachery.

And you can see half the road being encroached on the left side while drains laying work seems proceeding on the right side (or is it also encroachment?).

svenkat · Post by **svenkat** » 08 Dec 2015 15:49

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/innovation-in-the-times-of-flooding/article7943017.ece

When K.P.K. Nagar in Perungudi was inundated, residents were at their wit’s end. The inundation was sudden. On Tuesday night, while the families were fast asleep, water levels had risen. On Wednesday morning, many woke up with flood waters gently washing over them.

Many of the residents did not know where to turn for help.

And so, they went about organising their own rescue. They took whatever junk material they could lay hands on – anything that would enable them to float to safety – and created their own rescue boats.

They stuffed big polythene bags with discarded foam and empty plastic bottles and created their own floats. For people to sit on them, they appropriately placed planks underneath the polythene bags.

It seemed to be a community effort with everyone pitching in with materials and time. After all, all of them wanted to get out of the locality which was hopelessly submerged.

They started making the floats in the early hours of the day and soon had 25 of them, with which 70 percent of the locality were rescued. The sight of little children and senior citizens sitting on the floats as they were being pulled through the waters to safer ground attracted a sizeable crowd.

Residents carried their pets and livestock out the locality. The local Thoraipakkam police offered their help in what was largely a community effort.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 08 Dec 2015 15:56

Everyone please read this

For Wing Commander C.S. Simon and Squadron Leader S. Venkataramanan of the Air Force, December 3 was yet another busy day flying sorties on Cheetah helicopter for rescue and airdropping relief material till Monday when they realised that a video of their rescue of a pregnant woman, who eventually delivered twins, went viral on the social media, earning them praises for a timely rescue.

Recalling the challenging task, the pilots said they hovered the helicopter, placed one of the skids on top of a water tank on a building while rescuing the pregnant woman, who was already in labour pains.

“We went there after getting instructions from our operations room. The challenge was that once we approached the spot in Ramapuram, there were over a thousand people on the terraces of many buildings and we could not spot her. NDRF personnel used a chair and helped her get on the chopper,” says Squadron Leader Venkataramanan, the co-pilot of the helicopter.

Wing Commander C.S. Simon recalls the incident as “satisfying task” as it was a very important moment for the expectant mother. “We realised she could not walk and hence there was no way the waist strap could be fastened around her. It would have lead to miscarriage. So we decided to low-hover the aircraft.”

Corporal Arun Singh and Corporal Rahul Kumar helped the pregnant woman get on the helicopter which helped her land in Tambaram Air Force Station. But her journey with the Air Force was not over yet.

Roads cut off

“She had to be rushed to Sri Ramachandra Hospital in Porur, but the roads were cut off. So we flew her to the hospital and landed on a basketball ground on the campus. It was actually a surprise for the hospital authorities to see a patient arrive by a helicopter,” recalls Mr. Venkataramanan.

The pilots are happy to know that the woman was delivered of twins – both girls on Thursday. “Though it was an everyday incident to us, we are happy for the mother and the babies,” he said.

The woman who was rescued on the day of her Expected Date of Delivery (EDD) was sent a gift by Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha on behalf of the Air Force, which was hand-delivered by the same pilots at the hospital on Monday.

svenkat · Post by **svenkat** » 08 Dec 2015 16:14

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/aiadmk-cadre-confront-volunteers-distributing-relief/article7959681.ece

At a time when the flood affected people of Tamil Nadu are gratefully acknowledging the extraordinary relief work undertaken by volunteers from different parts of the country, a few cases of unruly elements allegedly belonging to the ruling AIADMK confronting the volunteers have come as a dampener. Some of these instances have been captured on camera and have gone viral on social media drawing widespread condemnation from civil society.

In one incident broadcast on Tamil television channels, including one channel which did not have any political affiliation, an AIADMK functionary and his accomplices, were seen intimidating volunteers from Bengaluru who were preparing food in Anna Nagar for distribution to the affected people.

The functionary, identified as Ko Tamilselvam, demanded 2,000 packets of food from the volunteers, which he wanted to distribute to the local people. The volunteer refused to give in to the demand, which evoked angry reactions from Tamilselvam and his accomplices.

The partymen dispersed only to return later on learning that the volunteers were distributing the food packets in the locality without inviting him. Tamilselvam is seen in the video mouthing expletives and moving menacingly towards the volunteers, who were visibly shaken by the political insensitivity of the men.

In another video, circulated on social media, a bearded volunteer was accosted by a couple of men, one of whom claimed to be the husband of a councillor and demanded 2,000 food packets. When the volunteer demanded that they give their request it in writing and captured the scene on video, the two men beat a hasty retreat.

Party's response

“Media is being constantly misled. We have been guiding and helping the volunteers. How do we know that the claims made in the video are true? If it is proven true, the party high command will take severe action. The opposition parties are taking advantage of a crisis to take advantage politically,” a party leader contended.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 08 Dec 2015 17:34

^^^those babies on top of the plasticky float is a bad idea. what are these women thinking? one flip at a wrong spot is an end game for them. people take life simple and given that no big risk can happen at a time it is the most demanding to be safe, is simply horrible.

prasad (RE: wtf).. none is asking or against the use of religious worship place for relief works. where did you get that from? there are aspects when you consider - just like the women who are risking their kids, risk social well-being for allowing things that should not be allowed.
- praying to allah/beef party in a temple
- seeking for homa/yagna in a mosque
etc. common sense onlee to prevent nonsensical man-made disasters that keeps nature out of bounds. it seems common sense is not common for folks out there.

=============

forecast: expect another 25mm total precipitation this week.

arshyam · Post by **arshyam** » 08 Dec 2015 19:46

SSridhar wrote:And you can see half the road being encroached on the left side while drains laying work seems proceeding on the right side (or is it also encroachment?).

It's Velachery all right. The road heading off from Vijayanagar junction towards the MRTS station and Tambaram.

The right side is not encroached - it has a 2m wide storm water drain that starts 2km away near the Velachery lake, and collects runoff and takes it to the Pallikaranai marsh. Of course, this time around, the drain itself is flooded.

The left side is an encroachment that has been that way for ages. Apparently, the guy who owns the building is politically well connected, and had litigated against his encroached land being reclaimed for the road. Not sure what the current status is, but it is a serious pain to walk/drive down this stretch.

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 08 Dec 2015 21:01

Thank you letter from an old lady

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 08 Dec 2015 21:07

SaiK wrote:^^^those babies on top of the plasticky float is a bad idea. what are these women thinking? one flip at a wrong spot is an end game for them. people take life simple and given that no big risk can happen at a time it is the most demanding to be safe, is simply horrible.

SaiK could you please stop passing unnecessary critical comments about photos of people in distress? It is quite obvious that two people are wading with the babies. If they carried the babies and they had a misstep they would fall in the water. Without the extra weight of the babies they can walk carefully and even a stumble will not necessarily upset the raft. Have you considered that both children may be of one mother who could not possibly have carried both together and had to save them/get them to a place where food and water was available. And yes that "plasticky float" is called a raft. It seems to be made of planks, with plastic to prevent the children from getting wet. Imagine how terrified they might be even without sitting with wet bottoms on a raft in an emergency.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 09 Dec 2015 05:51

It rained overnight and has been raining since morning though not heavy.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 09 Dec 2015 06:37

Delay in opening sluice gates caused flooding - ToI

The flood that ravaged Chennai last week was not a natural disaster, but one caused by the state bureaucracy's failure to regulate release of water from Chembarambakkam reservoir (lake) in the outskirts of the city.

Those privy to developments in the state secretariat during the last week of November say that in the wake of international weather forecast agencies predicting 500mm of rain for Chennai on December 1 and 2, public works department (PWD) officials had advised the PWD secretary and other senior bureaucrats on November 26 to bring down the water level in the reservoir from 22ft to below 18ft so the lake could absorb heavy inflow four days later. {Chembarambakkam was having 3140 Mcft of water against total capacity of 3645 Mcft on 26th November and the inflow was 2165 cusecs while outflow was slightly above at 2500 cusecs}There was not much rain between November 26 and 29 and Adyar river, too, which originates from this lake, had very little water.

The proposal to release lake water was caught in bureaucratic red tape. Sources said the PWD secretary waited for chief secretary's nod to open the sluice gates — and whose nod the chief secretary was waiting for still remains a mystery. In effect, the disaster caused in Punjab by heavy release of water from the Bhakra Nangal dam two years ago was repeated in Chennai.

Orders to open the Chembarambakkam sluice gates — rather flood gates — were not received till the city received was pounded with rain and the reservoir started overflowing. "The state administration maintained that the release from the reservoir into Adyar river was only 33,500 cusecs (cubic feet per second; 1 cubic ft is 28.3 litres of water), which is the maximum capacity of the gates, from December 1 night onwards. But the actual release was more than double that, and nobody has any idea how much it was because water was overflowing from Chembarambakkam after the reservoir reached its full capacity of 24 feet. The problem was compounded as Athannur lake breached, releasing about 5,000 cusecs into the Adyar," said a highly placed source in PWD.

In effect, Adyar was carrying more than one lakh cusecs of water on December 2 and 3, said a senior IAS official, who was coordinating rescue operations. "The city has paid the price for having a bunch of bureaucrats who don't have the guts to act on their own. We were lucky that the reservoir, despite overflowing, did not breach," he said.

"Flooding of Chennai and suburbs could have been averted by better management of water release," said Madras Institute of Development Studies professor S Janakarajan. The administration should not have viewed Chembarambakkam in isolation. The lake and Adyar river are connected to about 200 tanks, he said. Even if 33,500 cusecs had been released from Chembarambakkam, by the time the water reached Saidapet, it would have swelled to 60,000 cusecs because of additional flow from other water bodies enroute. The administration failed to gauge this and hapless people paid the price for it, he explained.

Janakarajan said the government should view all water bodies, roughly 3,600 of them, in Chennai, Kancheepuram and Thiruvallur districts as one watershed as they are hydrologically connected to one another. "If the government cleans up all those water bodies, they can hold about 30 tmcft (thousand million cubic feet) of water. Moreover, it will also prevent flooding in future," he said.

The magnitude of the disaster was more because there was no advisory issued to people living in low-lying areas, warning them that their homes could get flooded. To add to the misery, Chennai city police officers were instructed to keep their cell phones switched off (much before mobile phone towers went down) and carry out all communications only through wireless sets. Hence, people in distress could not seek help by reaching out to officials in their locality.

TOI's repeated efforts to get responses from the chief secretary and PWD secretary went in vain. Some pertinent questions that remain unanswered are: Whose orders were the bureaucrats waiting for to open the reservoir sluices? Will anybody be held responsible for the lapses? And, at least now, will the government put a standard operating procedure in place to keep reservoirs at safe levels? Will a better system be evolved to warn people living on river banks before gates are opened?

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 09 Dec 2015 07:03

What bijnej-owners need 2 ask is:

Why should v believe that this won't happen again next month/year/year aphter that onlee?

The bureaucratic mess at Chennai International Airport over the past decade should have been warning enough that the governance in Chennai is poor.

An exodus of big businesses from Chennai is the best way to get attention. Well-governed, non-bureaucratic, beautifully infrastrucutre-developed Ernakulam awaits...

At least in EKM no one expects a flood NOT 2 occur every time it rains. Now with Metro the water may be channelled to all outlying areas as well.

SwamyG · Post by **SwamyG** » 09 Dec 2015 08:02

Cousins report outskirts are still submerged, but the core is "almost fine". So many celebrities, most of the cinema variety, have contributed worthwhile. Next time in Mumbai rains, Bhaiwood would be in full action.

SwamyG · Post by **SwamyG** » 09 Dec 2015 08:06

Prasad wrote: Also, to those who are opposed to muslims inside the temple, many mosques took in people in their areas without conditions. I saw some comments on twitter saying temples have to be cleaned with milk for letting these people inside. I mean WTF man.

I am not opposed to Muslims entering temples, humanitarian grounds matter in times of distress without consideration to race, creed, gender, religion ityadi. No two doubts about it. Humans have to help fellow humans. My only takleef was about the rumor of giving rugs for namaz.

I saw photos of Hindus inside Mosque too.

Bade · Post by **Bade** » 09 Dec 2015 08:41

The religion creep even in this thread is amazing...

Batoriji, the cool aid of uber-development of Madras was sold till the day before the floods. Those snake-oil salesmen have since disappeared. Too much of not as good as Madras does, for the neighbors was a constant refrain. Now all that is in the dustbins of history.

In any case the KL model of less development or even NO development means no or less unnatural obstacles to flooding. Now when the Periyar reservoir breaks out and flows down hill, that is something to watch for if a minor low level reservoir overflow can do so much damage in Chennai. At least the metro there will be floating 10 metres above ground in Cochin and there are no tunnels to worry about.

Comer · Post by **Comer** » 09 Dec 2015 08:45

Ah the if I don't have a computer I don't have to worry about viruses gambit.
Still, Madras and TN has better infrastructure than most states. That doesn't make it disaster proof. Hope this causes a wakeup of sorts

Bade · Post by **Bade** » 09 Dec 2015 09:00

Madras is not unique. Despite what SaiK has said, Houston floods regularly not the whole city perhaps, but almost a significant part even with all the development and contingency plans. DC floods too as it is built on a swamp.

The recent 2015 floods in Houston...

habal · Post by **habal** » 09 Dec 2015 09:06

Bade wrote: Now when the Periyar reservoir breaks out and flows down hill, that is something to watch for if a minor low level reservoir overflow can do so much damage in Chennai. At least the metro there will be floating 10 metres above ground in Cochin and there are no tunnels to worry about.

mullaperiyar water was released yesterday @ 5 a.m.
without any advance warning.
thank you TN.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 09 Dec 2015 09:17

>>Next time in Mumbai rains, Bhaiwood would be in full action.

during the mumbai deluge does anyone recall anything of filmi types coming out of their mansions to help ?

habal · Post by **habal** » 09 Dec 2015 09:21

they do not have any underground tunnels for metro, so they will be safe.

the low lying areas and river beds which have been used for constructing houses, apartment blocks and IT parks will be deluged and come under. Nothing that mumbaikars are not used to.

chetak · Post by **chetak** » 09 Dec 2015 09:40

SSridhar wrote:Delay in opening sluice gates caused flooding - ToI

The flood that ravaged Chennai last week was not a natural disaster, but one caused by the state bureaucracy's failure to regulate release of water from Chembarambakkam reservoir (lake) in the outskirts of the city.

Those privy to developments in the state secretariat during the last week of November say that in the wake of international weather forecast agencies predicting 500mm of rain for Chennai on December 1 and 2, public works department (PWD) officials had advised the PWD secretary and other senior bureaucrats on November 26 to bring down the water level in the reservoir from 22ft to below 18ft so the lake could absorb heavy inflow four days later. {Chembarambakkam was having 3140 Mcft of water against total capacity of 3645 Mcft on 26th November and the inflow was 2165 cusecs while outflow was slightly above at 2500 cusecs}There was not much rain between November 26 and 29 and Adyar river, too, which originates from this lake, had very little water.

The proposal to release lake water was caught in bureaucratic red tape. Sources said the PWD secretary waited for chief secretary's nod to open the sluice gates — and whose nod the chief secretary was waiting for still remains a mystery. In effect, the disaster caused in Punjab by heavy release of water from the Bhakra Nangal dam two years ago was repeated in Chennai.

Orders to open the Chembarambakkam sluice gates — rather flood gates — were not received till the city received was pounded with rain and the reservoir started overflowing. "The state administration maintained that the release from the reservoir into Adyar river was only 33,500 cusecs (cubic feet per second; 1 cubic ft is 28.3 litres of water), which is the maximum capacity of the gates, from December 1 night onwards. But the actual release was more than double that, and nobody has any idea how much it was because water was overflowing from Chembarambakkam after the reservoir reached its full capacity of 24 feet. The problem was compounded as Athannur lake breached, releasing about 5,000 cusecs into the Adyar," said a highly placed source in PWD.

In effect, Adyar was carrying more than one lakh cusecs of water on December 2 and 3, said a senior IAS official, who was coordinating rescue operations. "The city has paid the price for having a bunch of bureaucrats who don't have the guts to act on their own. We were lucky that the reservoir, despite overflowing, did not breach," he said.

"Flooding of Chennai and suburbs could have been averted by better management of water release," said Madras Institute of Development Studies professor S Janakarajan. The administration should not have viewed Chembarambakkam in isolation. The lake and Adyar river are connected to about 200 tanks, he said. Even if 33,500 cusecs had been released from Chembarambakkam, by the time the water reached Saidapet, it would have swelled to 60,000 cusecs because of additional flow from other water bodies enroute. The administration failed to gauge this and hapless people paid the price for it, he explained.

Janakarajan said the government should view all water bodies, roughly 3,600 of them, in Chennai, Kancheepuram and Thiruvallur districts as one watershed as they are hydrologically connected to one another. "If the government cleans up all those water bodies, they can hold about 30 tmcft (thousand million cubic feet) of water. Moreover, it will also prevent flooding in future," he said.

The magnitude of the disaster was more because there was no advisory issued to people living in low-lying areas, warning them that their homes could get flooded. To add to the misery, Chennai city police officers were instructed to keep their cell phones switched off (much before mobile phone towers went down) and carry out all communications only through wireless sets. Hence, people in distress could not seek help by reaching out to officials in their locality.

TOI's repeated efforts to get responses from the chief secretary and PWD secretary went in vain. Some pertinent questions that remain unanswered are: Whose orders were the bureaucrats waiting for to open the reservoir sluices? Will anybody be held responsible for the lapses? And, at least now, will the government put a standard operating procedure in place to keep reservoirs at safe levels? Will a better system be evolved to warn people living on river banks before gates are opened?

all the baboo(n)s, especially the much vaunted IAS types had simply vanished from the scene, abdicating all responsibility and leaving the battered citizenry to their fate. They seem good only for fair weather "administration" and their sense of entitlement is embedded deeply in their psyche. They will surface now, as the sun starts to come out.

deejay · Post by **deejay** » 09 Dec 2015 10:39

Actually, I am interested in reports which point to prompt Babu action saving the day for the people.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 09 Dec 2015 11:39

I know of four IAS officers who were very visible during the calamity. Three collectors Gagandeep Singh Bedi in Cuddalore, Ms. Sundaravalli in Chennai, Ms. Gajalakshmi in Kancheepuram and J.Radhakrishnan, Health Secretary TN.

vina · Post by **vina** » 09 Dec 2015 11:45

I know of four IAS officers who were very visible during the calamity. Three collectors Gagandeep Singh Bedi in Cuddalore, Ms. Sundaravalli in Chennai, Ms. Gajalakshmi in Kancheepuram and J.Radhakrishnan, Health Secretary TN.

Those are tactical fire fighters who might have done heroic stuff during the deluge. But remember, Strategy always dominates tactical action. The Stratejee Baboons (Chief Baboon and his underlings/acolytes down the chain, to the PWD Baboon) dropped the ball if the Times Of India article is correct.

Is there some way a class action suit can be filed on those Stratejee Baboons for damages on personal capacity for dereliction of duty, damages, reckless endangerment of life and involuntary manslaughter (for the folks who died) and sue their backsides off on a personal capacity like in the US ?

Any lawyers here who can comment on this ? At the bare minimum those mofos need to be fired and their pensions forfeited , even if them spending jail time is remote.

durairaaj · Post by **durairaaj** » 09 Dec 2015 11:46

IAS Officer Transferred By TN Govt For Warning About Floods
summary:
Dr Vijay Pingale is a 2004 batch IAS officer, and was actively handling duties including roads, bridges and storm water drains, and it was he who was able to limit waterlogging during rains, owing to his expertise.

But when Pingale exposed and fined road contractors who had botched up roadways in the city, he sent ripples in the top administration, which resulted in a backlash, and he was transferred to the industries department.

While working as joint commissioner, Pingale focused on quality control, which did not go down well with assistant engineers whose carefully crafted model of making money by taking cuts from contractors was shaken up

svenkat · Post by **svenkat** » 09 Dec 2015 12:04

A tragic incident
http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/Retired-Army-Officer-Wife-Drown-at-Home-After-9-hour-Battle/2015/12/08/article3166613.ece

He survived the times spent in sensitive areas and in firing lines while serving the Indian Army. However, 72-year-old retired Lt.Col. G.Venkatesan had a tragic death along with his wife drowning inside his house after nine hours of struggle. Neighbours who heard them cry for help watched helplessly until their voice ceased to be heard. Venkatesan and his wife Geetha drowned inside their ground floor residence, “Geethalaya” in Defence officers colony in Ekkatuthangal, unable to get out of it.

“It was Tuesday night (December 1). Heavy floods from the overflowing river started engulfing the colony and the water level started rising. Our family including three kids moved to the first floor as the water level was just below the first floor balcony,” J Sasikala, the army officer’s neighbour recalled.

She and other neighbours could hear the cries of the elderly couple from their home, but none of them could help as the water was up to 10 feet high and rescue couldn’t reach in time.

The next day, the cries were not heard and later the neighbours learnt that the couple had died inside their locked house. “It seems they couldn’t locate the door keys in the flood waters. I could hear him shouting over phone to his daughter until the mobile services eventually went off,” Sasikala said.

A day later, rescue personnel recovered their bodies and moved them to the Government Royapettah Hospital. “The bodies were handed over to the couple’s daughter and son-in-law after autopsy,” police said.

Nandambakkam Police Inspector Giri said patrol teams visited the residential areas and called out residents to vacate their houses the day it rained heavily. “The couple chose to remain inside,” he added.

From what relatives later learnt from their daughter, Venkatesan got up on the dining table and then stood on a chair on the dining table shouting for help for several hours before the water levels rose to roof level drowning the couple.

The couple’s last rites were held on Sunday.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Locked-at-home-Armyman-wife-died-sending-SOSs/articleshow/50099333.cms

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 09 Dec 2015 12:24

Bade, it is now Chennai calling: Houston, we have a problem! 9 million to beam up. Texan gun & personal land laws are a massan version of Indic RE mafia issue. There it is more of non-permeable concrete the problem. too much concrete and lesser deviations for flood water to drain.
It was already said after Katrina, that Houston and other areas be converted to marshlands and mangroves... that would help them tackle hurricanes as well.

Given a low-lying city, how would they want to utilize it? The concern is not to replicate Houston and say Chennai will fail. Of course, any low-lying place will fail when it rains if you ingest all those water as your RE problem input. Houston has the money, and lesser concern on corruption than Chennai.

Yes, we have a problem... don't copy, but rectify.. engineer a solution here.