Amid the havoc wreaked by Cyclone Michaung in Chennai, the Tamilnadu Fire and Rescue Services (TNFRS) played a heroic role by rescuing over 19,157 marooned people during flood rescue operations. Director General of Police, Fire Services, Abhash Kumar, stated that more than 1,800 personnel and officers worked tirelessly round-the-clock to carry out the rescue mission. The fire control room received a staggering 1,046 calls for animal rescue and 597 calls to catch snakes navigating the floodwaters.
Despite these challenges, the TNFRS personnel attended to 487 rescue calls within three days. Equipped with 67 boats mobilized for the operations, they navigated flooded areas like Madipakkam, Pallikaranai, and Perumbakkam, rescuing pregnant women, senior citizens, and those in urgent need of medical assistance. The team also faced additional challenges, including a three-day operation to retrieve bodies from a collapsed construction site and a 12-hour battle to extinguish a massive fire in a chemical factory godown in Manali.