Workers are seen transporting boats from a fishing harbor in Chennai on November 27, 2024, as a precautionary measure against a predicted cyclonic storm. – AFP
Sri Lankan rescue teams reported on Thursday that they had retrieved the bodies of four drowned children, with four other individuals still missing, following a flash flood caused by torrential rains from a powerful yet slow-moving storm now heading towards India. Over 250,000 people in Sri Lanka have been compelled to evacuate their homes due to flooding. Indian weather officials have indicated a 'possibility' that the deep depression over the southwest Bay of Bengal could intensify into a cyclonic storm. Cyclones, which are equivalent to hurricanes in the North Atlantic or typhoons in the northwestern Pacific, are a recurring and lethal threat in the region. Having bypassed the coast of Sri Lanka, the storm is now moving north towards India's southern Tamil Nadu state. The India Meteorological Department anticipates it to make landfall on India's southern Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coastline on Saturday morning as a 'deep depression' with winds gusting up to 70 kph (43 mph). Sri Lanka's Disaster Management Centre stated that approximately 276,000 people are seeking refuge in public buildings after their homes were inundated. The government has enlisted the army's assistance in relief operations. The disaster centre also reported that search teams are still looking for two missing children and two men, who were also swept away by flash floods while on a tractor and trailer. Rain-related floods and landslides are common across South Asia, but experts warn that climate change is exacerbating their frequency and intensity.
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