Cyclone Fengal aftermath: Chennai man creates fun boat ride for grandkids in flooded apartment complex

While rescue operations are still underway in many inundated areas, a Chennai resident took his grandchildren on a fun and adventurous boat ride inside his apartment complex flooded with water. This video went viral.

Life gives you lemon, make lemonade

Tying an inflatable boat to the back of his scooter, he took his two grand-children lounging inside the boat around the apartment complex filled with water. The children, who were tired of being cooped up in the house with the rains, were having a whale of a time. 

The caption of the video said, “Grandfather with his grandchildren. Chennai, cyclone.” Social media users loved the video and commented on it

Rne user commented, “Keep yourself happy even in worse situations.”  Another said, “Lovely – a fine example – enjoy every moment wherever & in whatever circumstances you are in – make the best of it.”

One user felt this is one of the best example of 'when life gives you lemon make lemonade'.

Catastrophic damage

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu is now having to deal with the aftermath of Cyclone Fengal, which has wreaked havoc across 14 districts of Tamil Nadu, leaving over 1.5 crore people severely affected.

As per an estimate by the Tamil Nadu government, the cyclone caused unprecedented devastation in 14 districts, extensively damaging roads, electricity lines and causing heavy inundation. The sudden deluge not only inundated vast areas but also displaced the population and severely impacted the infrastructure.

Also read: Cyclone Fengal: Watch IndiGo plane’s harrowing landing bid in Chennai

The "catastrophic event" resulted in the loss of 12 human lives, 2,416 huts, 721 houses and 963 cattle. Widespread damage was also caused to agriculture and horticulture crop and irrigation systems, the state government said.

At Arasur, 18 people who took shelter in a temple that was damaged due to rain were rescued. The NDRF personnel successfully evacuated people and livestock marooned in a village in Cuddalore district.

In a tragic incident in Thiruvannamalai district, seven persons, including five children trapped in a house smashed by a boulder that fell on a residential house after rolling down from the top of Annamalaiyar Hill following a mud slip on December 1, were found dead during a rescue operation.

Their bodies were recovered on December 2 evening, after a nearly 24-hour rescue operation, said police.

Relief assistance

Stalin condoled the deaths and announced a solatium of ₹5 lakh each to their kin.

A meeting chaired by Chief Minister Stalin decided to extend relief assistance of ₹2,000 to each to the family ration cardholders in the rain-hit people in Villupuram, Kallakurichi, Thiruvannamalai, Cuddalore, Dharmapuri, and Krishnagiri districts, and extend ₹5 lakh as compensation each to the families who lost their kin due to cyclone or floods.

The government has decided to provide ₹10,000 as compensation for damaged huts, give priority to constructing houses under the Kalaignar Kanavu Illam (housing scheme) for completely damaged huts, and also announced compensation to farmers for the loss of crops in the rain-fed areas, loss of cattle, goats and sheep and chicken.

Also watch: Cyclone Fengal spares Chennai, batters Puducherry and neighboring districts

Centre assures support to TN

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on December 3 and assured him of all possible help. Stalin had posted on X, urging the prime minister to provide financial help to the state.

“#CycloneFengal 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 Hon’ble @PMOIndia Thiru. @NarendraModi to release ₹2000 crore from the NDRF immediately to aid emergency restoration and rehabilitation efforts,” Stalin said in a post on X.

Mud thrown at Tamil Nadu Minister

Meanwhile, on December 3, what was meant to be a day to distribute welfare aid and console the flood-ravaged families, turned into an ill-starred day for TN forest minister K Ponmudy.

Some unidentified persons threw mud at him and his entourage during his visit to Iruvelpattu village in Villupuram district. But, he dismissed the incident as "politically motivated" and said that the people in the area had nothing against him.

Ponmudy later told reporters that the mud was flung from behind when he, his son Gautham Sigamani, and collector C Palani, were returning from the village. He did not want to lodge a formal complaint in connection with the incident as he "didn't wish to do politics", he said.

Ponmudy also remained unfazed by the incident and continued distributing relief and consoling the flood-affected families, claimed state Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department Minister P K Sekar Babu.

Babu accused a political party member and her relative of throwing mud to obstruct Ponmudy from distributing relief to the flood-affected people. He, however, did not name the party.

Public frustration

Reacting to the incident, BJP state chief K Annamalai said in a social media post, "The CM and the Deputy Chief Minister were busy taking photos in the streets of Chennai while the city received very little rain and did not bother to keep track of the happenings beyond Chennai."

"Today, the public's frustration reached a boiling point as a Corrupt DMK Minister, Thiru Ponmudi, visited a flood-affected area and was met with a barrage of mud. This is a gentle reminder for DMK about what is on the offing," he said in a post on social media platform X.