Chennai, 24 Oct 2026: Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay directed District Collectors in 16 districts facing very heavy rainfall warnings to strengthen flood preparedness and take all necessary precautions to prevent loss of life. He instruc ted officials to ensure timely evacuation and rescue arrangements wherever required.
The Chief Minister issued the directions after reviewing north east monsoon preparedness at the State Emergency Operations Centre in Ezhilagam, Chennai, where he assessed precautionary measures and coordination among departments in districts outside Chennai.
The India Meteoro logical Department (IMD) has issued very heavy rainfall warnings for the Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Dindigul, Theni, Madurai, Viru dhunagar, Tenkasi , Kanniyakumari, Tiru nelveli, Thoothukudi, Sivaganga, Puduk kottai, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, Nagapatti nam and Mayiladu thurai districts. During the review, Vijay interacted with District Collectors of the affected districts and assessed the preparedness of district adminis trations to handle heavy rainfall and possible flooding.
He instructed officials to closely monitor vulnerable areas, strengthen coordination among departments and ensure that emergency response teams were prepared to act without delay. The Chief Minister also inspected the Integrated Multi Hazard Monitoring Dashboard at the State Emergency Operations Centre, which provides real-time information on rainfall, weather forecasts, reservoir water levels and public complaints.
The dashboard inte grates IMD forecasts, weather radar images, satellite imagery, cloud movements, cloud-top temperatures and wind patterns to help officials assess emerg ing risks and issue timely warnings. Officials explained that the system facilitates coordination between the State Emergency Operations Centre and District Emergency Operations Centres, enabling quicker responses to changing weather conditions.
Vijay also inspected the public grievance call centre, interdepart mental communication facilities and the tech nical unit responsible for monitoring weather forecasts and disaster-related information.
The State Emer gency Operations Centre continuously monitors rainfall and weather conditions during the northeast monsoon and coordi nates precautionary and rescue measures with district adminis trations and departments concerned.
The Chief Minister stressed the need to issue timely weather alerts to the public, closely monitor deve lopments and streng then coordination to minimise damage to life and property.
Revenue and Disaster Management Minister K A Sengottai yan, Chief Secretary M Saikumar, Commis sioner of Revenue Administration and Additional Chief Secretary P Chandra Mohan, Revenue and Disaster Management Secretary K S Palani samy, Commissioner of Disaster Management A Sivagnanam and other senior officials attended the review.