Hundreds of people in need of prompt medical care were stranded on Wednesday after heavy rains lashing the city left large swathes inaccessible.
Social media was full of posts of pregnant women stranded in their homes, unable to reach medical care, mostly in the southern parts of the Chennai Metropolitan Area. B. Prabhudoss, head, marketing and hospital relations, said at least five pregnant women had been rescued from their homes and the rescue continued on Thursday. Urgent messages of senior citizens, children and others who needed medical aid, medicines, milk and supplies flooded Facebook. Many family members also turned to social media unable to contact their loved ones, with mobile phones unreachable.
R. Roshan, a resident of Kodambakkam, said his father had been admitted to MIOT International but had no food. “He had had no food since this morning. A lorry was supposed to bring supplies but I think it got stuck,” he said. ESIC Hospital in K.K. Nagar is flooded and has no power, a doctor said, adding that the patients had been shifted to upper floors. Dr. Kamakshi Memorial Hospital in Pallikaranai too is inundated, a patient’s relative said.
In Gummidipoondi, an employee of an IT company died suddenly, but his friends and family were not able to get a vehicle to transport his body to his hometown, Mannargudi.
“We have been trying for the last two hours but have had no success. His body is still in the hospital. We are trying to get his company to send their ambulance to us,” said the victim’s neighbour.
An 84-year-old woman died in T.Nagar and her family was not able to cremate her body as no purohit was willing to come to the inundated area and the electric crematorium had no power. At the regular crematorium, the wood was wet while at the mortuary too, there was no power, a family member said.
Students in hostels and senior citizens in homes have also been hard hit. At SRM University, a student said there had been no power or food all of Tuesday and waist-deep water outside their hostel. “We finally got food on Tuesday night. Many of the students tried to leave, but some who were trying to make it to the airport had to return last night,” he said.
Volunteers step in
Meanwhile, several doctors have volunteered to help those in need, but a majority of numbers have been unreachable for most of Wednesday. M. Chandrika, a general practitioner at C.M. Hospital in Nanganallur said she and a few staff members were staying on in the hospital on 5{+t}{+h}Main Road overnight, and would treat any emergency cases that came in. “We have already taken in a few cases,” she said.
Dentists too, are stepping in. Yashwanth Venkataraman, a dentist at Parasu Dental Hospital said two clinics – one in Adyar and another in Anna Nagar – were functioning while the one in Velachery had to be shut down. “We can provide basic treatment, especially for children and young adults and give them any medicines we are allowed to,” he said
Temples, mosques and gurdwaras have opened their doors, providing food and shelter to those in need. At the Parthasarathy Temple in Triplicane, food was made in large vats on Wednesday afternoon and distributed to 1,500 flood-affected residents including those in Triplicane, said P. Kodhandaraman, deputy commissioner of the temple. The temple has tied up with the Swamy Sripadham Trust for this effort.
Residents and social organisations too, have chipped in everywhere – with food, accommodation and rescue efforts.
Naalya India, an NGO had helped rescue 300 people in Velacherry during the last bout of flooding and has been distributing food, medicines and other essential supplies.
Temples, mosques and gurdwaras have opened their doors, providing food and shelter
