DEADLY FLOODS HIT CHENNAI, INDIA

Deadly Floods Hit Chennai, India

Published Nov 17 2015 01:24 PM EST

weather.com


Residents affected by the flooding near Chennai, India, rescue an injured dog. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

In southern India, days of heavy rain have led to deadly floods, claiming more than 70 lives in the past week, according to recent media reports.

India's air force has deployed to rescue residents of the southern state of Tamil Nadu. Reuters reports a relief fund has also been set up to aid those affected. In Tamil Nadu's capital of Chennai, schools, colleges and trains have all been shut down because of the flooding, with rescue efforts underway to get residents to safety and deliver clean water and food to those stranded.

Indian cab service Ola, which usually operates as an online means to book a cab, has taken to the water-laden streets to fill boats with passengers and supplies, free of charge. According to Mashable, the Uber competitor has staffed the boats with two professional rowers each, carrying as many as nine passengers at a time.

"The rain that was meant to be spread out over the monsoon months has poured in just a few days," Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister Jayalalithaa said in a statement to reporters in Chennai.

"Low pressure in the middle and lower atmosphere moving slow west over southern India was responsible for the heavy rain that caused the flooding," weather.com meteorologist Chris Dolce says. Chennai measured more than a foot of rain (306 mm) in the 48 hours ending Monday.

The rain is forecast to continue, affecting not just Tamil Nadu but the neighboring southern states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka as well. In nearby Sri Lanka, upwards of 80,000 people are also seeing the effects of the rain, according to BBC.

The rains come at an unexpected time as Andhra Pradesh had recently declared a drought. With the drastic excess of rain, IBN Live reports that efforts are being made to fill 8,000 water tanks.

But with hundreds of acres of crops submerged, according to Huffington Post, the clock is ticking as the crops are at risk of decaying.

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