Tamil Nadu has placed around 8,200 fire and rescue personnel on alert as the northeast monsoon intensifies over the state, officials said in Chennai on Wednesday, according to IANS. The deployment comes as heavy rain continues across coastal districts — schools in Chennai and four neighbouring districts were shut on Wednesday after overnight downpours — and forecasters warn of further heavy to very heavy rainfall in the coming days.

The Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services Department has directed its 375 fire stations and three rescue stations — at Hogenakkal, Kotagiri and Chennai's Marina Beach — to remain operational round the clock. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams have also been deployed in areas facing heavy rainfall, officials said.

Police and fire personnel are monitoring approximately 4,400 locations identified by the State Disaster Management Authority as vulnerable to flooding, while the fire department is separately maintaining surveillance over 1,343 low-lying locations. Rescue teams have been positioned at 125 locations where previous floods caused significant casualties and property damage, each deployment comprising 20 personnel equipped with rescue vehicles, rubber boats, drones and life jackets.

At district level, preparations include two commando teams, trained rescue swimmers and personnel specialising in rope operations. Equipment kept ready includes motorboats, rubber boats, power saws for removing fallen trees, pumps for draining floodwater, ropes and life jackets, along with rope launchers, rope riders and motion-imaging cameras to help locate people trapped amid debris. Walkie-talkies have been readied to maintain communication if regular networks are disrupted. In Chennai and surrounding areas alone, authorities are monitoring 203 flood-prone locations, officials said.