Chennai, Dec 10 (IANS): The floods that hit four districts in Tamil Nadu, claiming 347 lives and causing widespread damage, have been declared by the central government as a "Calamity of Severe Nature", Chief Minister J.Jayalalithaa said on Thursday.

In a statement issued here, she said the central government, agreeing to her request, has declared the floods that affected several districts as a "Calamity of Severe Nature".

On Wednesday Jayalalithaa had requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare the floods that affected four districts as a national calamity.

Jayalalithaa also said that she has requested AIADMK parliamentary members to contribute Rs.1 crore out of their local area development fund towards flood damage restoration and relief works.

Heavy rains - the worst in a century - battered Chennai, as well as adjoining Kanchipuram, Cuddalore and Thiruvallur districts for the past month resulting in unprecedented floods.

The state government on Thursday said 347 people were killed in the rains and floods since October 1, and 17.64 lakh people were rescued and housed in relief centres.

The government also said in a statement that a total of 6,605 relief centres were opened in the state. The rains and floods also killed 3,889 cattle.

Immediate relief amount of Rs.67.47 crore has been disbursed to 111,278 families, the statement added.

PMK founder S. Ramadoss, however, put the rain and flood damage in the state at around Rs.100,000 crore.

Meanwhile, the weather department has ruled out further heavy rains in Tamil Nadu but said there may be rains or thundershowers at a few places in Kanyakumari and Tuticorin districts and isolated rains in the rest of the state and Puducherry.