The wind uprooted trees like this in Chennai and in other places, and tore hoardings and toppled cars.  Pic/AFP

Chennai: Very severe cyclonic storm 'Vardah', the most intense to have hit the Tamil Nadu capital in two decades, claimed four lives, flattened homes, snapped power, communication lines and threw into disarry rail, road and air traffic as it crossed the coast here, pounding Chennai, Tiruvallur and Kanchipuram with heavy rain and squall yesterday.