• Source:PTI
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi dialled Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday to offer assistance following widespread flooding caused by Cyclone Fengal. PM Narendra Modi assured support, including aid from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) for restoration and rehabilitation work, reported news agency PTI citing government sources. 

Chief Minister MK Stalin had previously appealed for Rs 2,000 crore from the NDRF to facilitate restoration and rehabilitation efforts. CM Stalin also requested the central government to deploy a team for damage assessment. He stated that Cyclone Fengal affected 1.5 crore people across 14 districts, inundated 2.11 lakh hectares of farmland and severely damaged critical infrastructure.

"Cyclone Fengal has wreaked unprecedented havoc across 14 districts of Tamil Nadu, affecting 1.5 crore people, inundating 2.11 lakh hectares of farmland, and damaging critical infrastructure. Given the magnitude of destruction, I urge Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi to release Rs2000 crore from the NDRF immediately to aid emergency restoration and rehabilitation efforts," the chief minister posted on X.

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Meanwhile, CM Stalin announced Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia for each family of the seven people who died in a landslide triggered by the cyclone in Thiruvannamalai district. The victims included Rajkumar, his wife Meena and five children.

"I express my deepest condolences and sympathy to the families of those who died in this accident and have ordered that each of the families of the deceased be provided with Rs. 5 lakhs each from the Chief Minister's General Relief Fund," the chief minister stated in a press release. 

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Disturbing videos have surfaced from multiple areas of Tamil Nadu, showing vehicles, including large buses, being swept away by floodwaters at Uthangirai’s bus station, where rain fell continuously for 14 hours. 

A senior official from the Weather Department indicated that the heavy rainfall is a result of the cyclone's remnants, now forming a strong low-pressure area over northern Tamil Nadu. Rainfall alerts have been issued for northern Kerala and southern Karnataka as the system is expected to strengthen and move towards the Arabian Sea.