A confluence of the warmest El Niño ever, the warmest November on record, and poor urban planning and development, has brought disaster to the city of Chennai (also known as Madras), the fifth largest city in India, the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, off the Bay of Bengal, a city of 6.7 million, the largest industrial and commercial center in South India, and a major cultural, economic and education center.
The Indian Express has the story:
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said Chennai has turned into an island. “It would not be an exaggeration to say that. Since the day before, Chennai has been cut off from all national and state highways.”
The minister added that in the 24 hours beginning December 1, 8.30 pm, Chennai has received 330 mm of rain, which exceeds the rain the city receives for the entire month of December, thereby “breaking a 100-year record”.
He said in several places the rising water levels have forced authorities to cut electricity connections, while 40 per cent of mobile phone connections and 20 per cent landline connections have been adversely affected.
An excellent explanation of how and why this has happened:
Update (16:05 MST) — I missed seeing this before, and I think it’s worth mentioning, as it speaks to another type of poor emergency planning:
Eighteen patients died at a hospital in the southern Indian city of Chennai after rains caused a power outage, affecting ventilators, officials said Saturday.
Back up power is, or should be, a fundamental requirement of any hospital that provides more than basic care, most especially intensive care with ventilators. Of course, back up power can and often does fail as well, especially if it’s not maintained and tested.
A few photos and tweets (you can easily find a lot more online):
This is India’s Katrina. An organization called Rapid Response is soliciting donations.