Alert

India - No. 33/2009

Chennai & Tamil Nadu Heavy Rains

Geneva, 6 November 2009

Since 4 November 2009 heavy rains have been pounding Chennai City and Tamil Nadu. The meteorological observatory in Nungambakkam, Chennai recorded 68.6 mm of rainfall during a period of 12 hours on 4 November. The facility in Meenambakkam received 52.33 mm of rainfall in the same period. Further heavy storms are forecast.

Impact: The rainfall brought respite from the sweltering heat, but also inundated slum areas and rural mud and thatch houses have suffered some damage. Chennai city roads have been inundated with flood water, causing chaos with traffic. Schools in Chennai have been temporarily closed due to the floods. In the rural areas it is the poor and marginal farmers who have been the most affected.

As of 6 November 2009 there has been no national or international response. ACT member, the United Evangelical Lutheran Churches in India (UELCI) is assessing the situation along with its member churches, the Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church, Arcot Lutheran Church and India Evangelical Lutheran Church. The operational areas of all three churches have been affected by the heavy rainfall.

UELCI is sharing information with other ACT members in country - the Lutheran World Service, India (LWSI) as well as Church's Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA).

Planned Activities: UELCI is keeping in touch with the member churches at grass roots level and monitoring the situation, especially among the most vulnerable and marginalized communities.

Any funding indication or pledge should be communicated to Jessie Kgoroeadira, ACT Finance Officer (jkg@act-intl.org).

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ACT is a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergencies worldwide. The ACT Coordinating Office is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Switzerland.