With the focus now shifting from disaster mitigation of cyclone to flood relief, the defence ministry on Monday said it has pressed four helicopters into service to evacuate the marooned local population as well as to drop relief materials to Phailin hit areas.
The IMD issued a "Nowcast" warning, forecasting thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and intense spells of rain with gusty winds reaching 50-60 kmph at isolated places in Mumbai in the next three to four hours.
Speaking to reporters after visiting the flood-hit Bhadrachalam town in Bhadradri-Kothagudem district, Rao announced allocation of Rs 1,000 crore as a rehabilitation package for the temple town to build colonies in highlands for a permanent solution from flood threat.
Assam reeled under devastating floods caused by incessant rain, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking stock of the situation and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma visiting several relief camps sheltering affected people on Saturday, officials said.
"I will get it investigated properly," Governor Buta Singh said, adding whoever is found guilty will be punished.
Sachin P Mampatta goes back in time to recall a deluge that that has passed into lore in Kerala.
Flood victims have been fighting for survival and living in temporary shelters nearby railway tracks with lack of food items. They are yet to get any help from the government, reports M I Khan.
More than 5,000 people have been rendered homeless in Kodagu district where rescue and relief operations are underway in full swing.
Rajasthan's three districts -- Jalore, Sirohi and Barmer -- are reeling under a flood-like situation due to heavy rainfall caused by cyclonic storm Biparjoy, an official said on Sunday.
Several rebel Maharashtra MLAs are currently camping in the Radisson Blu Hotel in Guwahati.
Army columns equipped with boats, bulldozers and engineering equippment have been rushed to Nanded and Bhadrachalam districts.
After making landfall near Puducherry on November 30, Cyclone Fengal weakened on Sunday, but torrential downpour under its influence paralysed the union territory, with the Army stepping in to evacuate stranded persons in inundated streets.
Since bodies are still being found from the slush and debris left behind by the river in both the states, the exact casualty count will be clear in the next few days after collating the details, officials said.
The India Meteorological Department has issued a 'Red Alert' and predicted 'very heavy' to 'extremely heavy' rainfall across several districts of Assam till Thursday.
The worst-hit districts include Kendrapara, Balasore and Bhadrak, while the human casualty 'still stands at zero,' he told reporters in Bhubaneswar.
While there was a brief respite from the incessant downpour on Tuesday, collaborative efforts from the defence, national, and state disaster response forces took the lead in executing rescue and relief operations.
IAF pilots and crew dodged low hanging clouds, mist covered hills, steep valleys and landed on broken landing grounds to rescue civilians in Wayanad. In one mission, they had to descend vertically to get close to the survivors. IAF flew over 80 missions, saving lives and giving hope. This is how they did it.
So far, 15 bodies have been recovered from the debris, while 12 persons are still missing.
Modi also announced Rs 2 lakh aid to the kin of those who died in the deluge.
With 11 more deaths, the toll in the second spell of Orissa floods mounted to 38 on Wednesday as the government began post-relief reconstruction work and decided to continue air-dropping of food articles till Thursday.
In the last 24 hours, eight people have died after drowning in flood waters -- two each in Barpeta and Karimganj districts, one each in Darrang, Hailakandi, Nalbari and Sonitpur districts and eight people are still missing.
The flood situation in the three districts of Barak Valley -- Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi -- remained critical as the water levels of Barak and Kushiara rivers continued to rise, inundating vast tracts of land, officials said.
In September 2014, the Jammu and Kashmir region suffered disastrous floods caused by heavy rainfall. Nearly 300 people died in the floods and many more lost their homes and livelihood. Mukhtar Ahmad/Rediff.com reports.
The state has suffered losses of Rs 4,000 crore and the figure is likely to go up as estimates continue to pour in, he said.
1 person died in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia district each taking the toll in current phase of floods to 31.
This was the very same house from which two nervous women were dramatically winched up to safety by a brave Navy commando.
Rescue operations were underway on Friday to trace over 45 people missing following flash floods triggered by cloudbursts in three districts of Himachal Pradesh, officials said on Friday.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted above-normal rainfall for the upcoming monsoon season in India (June to September). The cumulative rainfall is estimated to be 105 percent of the long-period average. The IMD has also ruled out the possibility of El Nino conditions during the entire season. The monsoon is crucial for India's agriculture sector, which supports the livelihood of a significant portion of the population and contributes substantially to the country's GDP. However, while the prediction of normal rainfall brings relief, climate change is expected to cause variations in rainfall distribution.
The Brahmaputra is flowing over its danger marks in different part of Assam due to incessant rainfall across the state.
The India Meteorological Department has said that the landfall process of Cyclone 'Biparjoy' has started in Saurashtra and Kutch regions of Gujarat. The landfall process will carry on till midnight with wind speeds reaching a maximum of 140 kilometres per hour, the IMD said.
The toll due to the flood since mid-May is now 101, they said.
Landslides triggered by incessant rain snapped rail and road links, an official bulletin said.
From restoring railway tracks to rescuing a drowning mother and her baby, and even a dog, the Indian Army and air force officers have come handy in the flood-hit areas of Rajasthan and Gujarat.
As severe cyclonic storm 'Remal' initiated its landfall process between the coasts of Bangladesh and adjoining West Bengal on Sunday evening, authorities took swift action, evacuating over 1 lakh people from vulnerable areas of the state to safety.
A three-hour heavy downpour accompanied by a dust storm hit Delhi-NCR early morning on Friday, causing flight delays and traffic disruptions as seven people were killed in rain-related incidents across north India.
The state of Kerala is witnessing damage like never before as the floods have claimed over 350 people since May 30 and have forced over 10 lakh people out of their homes. According to figures, a whopping 12.47 lakh people are living in approximately 1,155 shelter camps after their homes and their lives were destroyed in the deluge. As the state struggles to find its feet, here's a glimpse of what life looks like in a shelter.
Many fake websites seeking donations for Uttarakhand flood relief fund are emerging threat for Internet users as these are spreading malicious programmes, security solutions provider McAfee said.
The earthquake rocked many parts of Thailand including its capital Bangkok, the venue for next week's summit of BIMSTEC regional grouping that is scheduled to be attended by Modi among other leaders.
