2015 South Indian floods facts for kids

The 2015 South Indian floods were a major natural disaster. They happened because of very heavy rain. This rain came from the annual northeast monsoon in November and December 2015. The floods mainly hit the Coromandel Coast area. This includes the South Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and the union territory of Puducherry. The city of Chennai was hit the hardest. More than 500 people lost their lives. Over 1.8 million people had to leave their homes.

Every year, from October to December, a large part of South India gets a lot of rain. This includes Tamil Nadu, the coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh, and Puducherry. About 30% of their yearly rain comes from the northeast monsoon. This monsoon happens as the rainy season slowly moves away from northeastern India.

On November 8, 2015, a weather system formed in the ocean. It grew stronger and moved towards the coast. It crossed the coast of Tamil Nadu near Puducherry the next day. On November 15, another strong weather system moved north. It brought huge amounts of rain to coastal Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Some areas, like Ponneri, got 370 mm of rain in just 24 hours. Chennai International Airport recorded 266 mm of rain in one day.

Later, on November 28–29, another system developed. It reached Tamil Nadu on November 30. This brought even more rain and made the flooding worse. Tambaram received 490 mm of rain in 24 hours starting on December 1. These very heavy rains caused floods all along the coast. The area from Chennai to Cuddalore was affected.

Flooding in Chennai and Tamil Nadu

Between November 9 and 10, 2015, Neyveli received 483 mm (19.0 in) of rain. Heavy rains continued to fall in Cuddalore, Chidambaram, and Chennai. By November 13, many low-lying parts of Chennai were underwater. This led to over 1,000 people being moved from their homes. The flooding in Chennai was made worse by new buildings in areas that used to absorb water. The city was also not ready enough for such heavy floods.

The floods in Chennai were described as the worst in 100 years. Because of the ongoing rain, schools and colleges stayed closed. This happened across Puducherry and the districts of Chennai, Kancheepuram, and Tiruvallur in Tamil Nadu. Fishermen were told not to go out to sea. The waters were too high and rough. These floods caused a lot of damage in the southern areas.

Puducherry Affected by the Floods

Puducherry had less damage in November. The main weather system stayed mostly offshore. Some trees fell, and several banana and sugarcane farms in Kutchipalayam were badly damaged. Puducherry reported 55.7 mm of rain in 24 hours from November 14 to 15. Water entered many houses in low-lying areas. Three houses also collapsed in Uppalam.

By December 5, the government announced that nearly 9,000 hectares of rice fields were damaged. This included 4,420 hectares in Puducherry itself. Farmers also lost sugarcane, plantains, tapioca, and vegetable crops. The government planned to offer money to help farmers. For example, they offered ₹20,000 (US$340) per hectare for damaged rice fields.

Impacts of the Floods

Getting basic items like milk, water, and vegetables became very difficult. During the December floods in Chennai, milk packets sold for ₹100 (US$1.70). This was five times their normal price. Water bottles and cans were sold for ₹100 (US$1.70) to ₹150 (US$2.60). Vegetables were sold for at least ₹10 (17¢ US) to ₹20 (34¢ US) more than their usual cost.

Besides basic needs, fuel and travel were also greatly affected, especially in Chennai. In Chennai, over 150,000 street vendors lost more than ₹300 crore (US$51 million). The heavy rain and floods forced many large car makers to stop production. Companies like Ford, Renault, Nissan, and Daimler AG had to close temporarily. This led to estimated losses of up to ₹1,000 crore (US$170 million).

Images for kids

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  Aerial view of submerged Chennai International Airport

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  Aerial view of flood-hit areas of Chennai

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  Relief efforts by the Indian Navy in Chennai

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  Indian Navy officers distribute drinking water in Chennai.

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  Indian Air Force Cheetah helicopters carrying out winching operations to rescue stranded people in Chennai and its suburbs

See also

In Spanish: Inundaciones en India del Sur de 2015 para niños