Chennai, May 22 (IANS): The Tamil Nadu State Revenue and Disaster Management Department has said that the state has reported 12 rain-related deaths from May 16 to May 21.

The department in a statement on Wednesday said that other than the 12 rain-related deaths, 19 livestock deaths were also reported while 55 huts and houses were damaged in the last 24 hours due to the heavy rain lashing various parts of the state.

The department in a statement said, "469 people who were accommodated in 9 relief camps in Erode, Namakkal and Karur districts have returned home.”

The department added that to keep the people on the alert, 4.5 crore SMS alerts have been sent through the Common Alert Protocol in Kanniyakumari, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, Dindigul, Coimbatore, Virudhunagar, Theni and Nilgiris districts.

All the district collectors have been advised to follow the Standard Operating Procedures issued for effective management of disaster situations and take precautionary measures.

It said that the State Emergency Operations Centre and District Emergency Operations Centres are functioning round the clock with additional staff.

Tourists were issued an advisory not to go to any beach and not to venture into the sea.