Incessant rain in coastal Tamil Nadu has left people from Bihar in dire straits.

Baquir Usmani, a boy from Hajipur who studies in Patna University, went to Chennai to meet his sister who works there. "As per my schedule, I had to come back by November 30 but due to heavy rain and flood, trains and flights were cancelled. In most of the localities, people are using small ferries or boats. The place (Manoharan Street) where I am staying is better than the low-lying areas."

It has been two-days since there is no electricity, said Baquir. "My phone and laptop got discharged and even the local booths are not working. By the grace of God, I have informed my family that we are fine. We have access to facilities, which a lot of poor people do not have. I only hope that by next week, things change for the better. You feel pained watching the plight of the poor," he added.

Baquir reached Chennai on November 20 via Hyderabad. Recounting his horror journey from Hyderabad to Chennai, Baquir said: "I was in Hyderabad for a couple of days to attend my friend's birthday and then went to meet my sister who is working in Chennai. After spending a day and 14 hours at Hyderabad railway station waiting for a train to Chennai, I finally reached the Tamil Nadu capital. But for three-days, it is raining cats and dogs."

Hema Singh, a Patna girl who is studying in a private college of Chennai, is also facing the wrath of nature. She is living there in a flat as a paying guest. Her family in Patna continuously tried to contact her for the past couple of days but failed to get any information. "Through our neighbour's relative, we got to know her well-being and that she reached to a safe location," said her father Kailashnath of Phulwarisharif.

Hema recalled that the continuous rainfall flooded the ground floor and water started to seep in her room. "I was distressed and was not able to contact my family. Almost 80 per cent the flat was empty due to study leave before the semester exam. On Wednesday morning, my neighbour's relative accompanied me and my friends to their home. We are waiting for the clearance of the route to get back to home."

While Biharis in Chennai are suffering because of rain, deputy chief minister Tejaswi Yadav on Wednesday announced to donate his monthly salary for the help of rain-hit people of Tamil Nadu. "On humanitarian grounds, I have decided to donate my first month's salary to the chief minister's relief fund for Chennai flood victims," Tejaswi tweeted.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar also expressed anxiety and attributed the natural disaster to climate change. "Where earlier there used to be less rain, it is now witnessing excessive rain. We all are concerned," he said.