India opens its heart on #ChennaiRains

A man moves to safe place from flooded Kotturpuram during heavy rains in Chennai on Wednesday/ PTI

Rains have hit Tamil Nadu like never before and, according to the Metereological Department, the onslaught will continue till December 8. The state’s capital, Chennai, has been most affected with 89 per cent more rainfall than normal this season. Fortunately, it hasn’t rained in the city since morning, after yesterday, which saw the worst downpour so far with 20 cm.

People across the country and even abroad took to social networking websites, flooding the platforms with ‘Pray For Chennai’ messages. But there were some who had pertinent issues to raise, opinions to voice and stories to share from ground zero.

Some of these Facebook posts are first-person accounts of the deplorable state of affairs in Tamil Nadu — how people are running out of food because grocery shops are shut, some criticised the national media for ignoring a natural calamity claiming lives, and some NRIs have shared their helplessness on being away from family at this crucial hour of need.

Here are some of the most gripping and relevant messages that have been doing the rounds on social media: