Chennai:Tamil Nadu has placed around 8,200 fire and rescue personnel on alert as the northeast monsoon intensifies, deploying specialist teams in vulnerable areas and mobilising boats, emergency equipment and volunteers to respond to flooding. 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 and State Disaster Response Force teams have also been deployed in areas facing heavy rainfall. Police and fire personnel are monitoring approximately 4,400 locations identified by the State Disaster Management Authority as vulnerable to flooding. The fire department is separately maintaining surveillance over 1,343 low-lying locations across Tamil Nadu.Rescue teams have been positioned at 125 locations where previous floods caused significant casualties and property damage. Each deployment comprises 20 personnel equipped with rescue vehicles, rubber boats, drones and life jackets.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. Advanced devices, including rope launchers, rope riders and motion-imaging cameras, are available to help locate and rescue people trapped amid debris. Walkie-talkies have been readied to maintain communication if regular networks are disrupted, officials said.