CHENNAI — With northeast monsoon slated to hit Tamil Nadu in the first week of October, the state government has commenced preparations to tackle the possibilities of flooding and any disaster-like situation. High-level meetings are being conducted at the state and districts for monsoon preparedness. The district administrations will soon commence awareness programmes among the members of Resident Welfare Associations. Zonal-level meetings will be conducted to continuously take stock of monsoon preparedness. Disaster management will be the focus of the preparedness meetings. In Tamil Nadu, the Northeast monsoon often brings forth intense and copious rain, flooding many areas, mainly the suburbs, for days together. The government and the Greater Chennai Corporation have struggled to find a lasting solution to the problem and generally during flooding followed by heavy monsoon rain, volunteers coordinate with civic officials and non-governmental organisations and aid the affected residents. It may be noted that as per the India Meteorological Department, the city has received more rainfall than the normal 305.5 mm during this southwest monsoon — 459.7 mm from June 1 to August 31. However, the northeast monsoon is different and it tests Chennai’s ability to handle torrential rain. In preparation, the Greater Chennai Corporation has...