New Delhi:

The Central government has approved the release of Rs 944.8 crore to the Tamil Nadu government as two installments of central share from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to help it provide relief to people affected by cyclone Fengal, the Home Ministry said in an official statement.

Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the guidance of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the government stands shoulder to shoulder with the states affected by natural calamities in mitigating the hardship faced by people, the statement said.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has approved the release of Rs 944.8 crore to the Tamil Nadu government as both the installments of central share from the SDRF to help the state in providing relief assistance to people affected by cyclone Fengal on November 30, it said.

An Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) has been sent to Fengal-affected Tamil Nadu and Puducherry for an on-the-spot assessment of the damage caused.

After the assessment reports of IMCTs are received, additional financial assistance from NDRF will be approved for the disaster-affected states as per the established procedure, the release said.

More than Rs 21,718.716 crore has already been released by the central government to 28 states during this year.

This includes Rs 14,878.40 crore from SDRF to 26 states, Rs 4,808.32 crore from NDRF to 18 states, Rs 1,385.45 crore from the State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF) to 11 states, and Rs 646.546 crore from the National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF) to seven states.

In addition to financial assistance, the central government has also provided all logistic assistance, including deployment of requisite NDRF teams, Army teams, and Air Force support to all the flood and cyclone-affected states.

In a letter to the Centre on Monday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin said Cyclone Fengal caused “unprecedented” devastation in the state and urged PM Modi to release Rs 2,000 crore interim relief from the NDRF as a single disbursal.

Stalin said that more than 69 lakh families and 1.5 crore individuals were severely affected by the calamity in northern Tamil Nadu districts like Villupuram, Tiruvannamalai, and Kallakurichi.

The state government’s initial assessment revealed that an estimated Rs 2,475 crore was required for temporary restoration efforts.

“Despite our best efforts, the scale of this disaster has overwhelmed the state’s resources, and the state needs urgent financial assistance to manage the fallout of this natural disaster,” Stalin said in the letter.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

What’s the claim?

A video showing a heavily flooded road at night has been shared online, with claims that it depicts scenes from Chennai, the capital of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, following heavy rainfall caused by Cyclone Fengal. One user on X shared the video with the caption, “Marina Beach Road, Chennai.” 

Similar posts have been widely circulated on X, Facebook, and YouTube, linking the footage to the recent rains in Chennai. Archived versions of such posts can be found here, here, here, here, and here.

However, our investigation reveals that the video is not from Chennai and predates Cyclone Fengal.

What we found

Using reverse image search, we found the same video on Newsflare (archived here), a global platform for viral videos. It was uploaded on September 3, 2024, with the title “Saudi Arabia: Heavy rain has flooded the streets of Jeddah.”

This lead was corroborated by a report from Cay Haber, a Turkish news channel, which featured a screenshot of the viral clip. The report confirmed the video was filmed in Jeddah during severe rainfall in early September 2024. Similarly, MSN published the video on September 3, 2024, further supporting this timeline.

Additional posts on X and YouTube from September 2024 also link the video to flooding in Jeddah. Archived versions of these posts are available here and here.

It’s important to note that Cyclone Fengal made landfall between Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on November 30, 2024, well after the video began circulating online.

While we could not pinpoint the exact location of the video, reports confirm that Jeddah experienced heavy rainfall on September 2, 2024. The Saudi Press Agency documented this event, and visuals of the flooding were widely shared by local media. For instance, Jeddah Now (archived here) posted a brief video of a flooded roadway on X, and Alaraby TV (archived here) uploaded similar footage, both confirming the flooding in Jeddah.

The verdict

The viral video claiming to show Marina Beach Road in Chennai after Cyclone Fengal is misrepresented. The footage is from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and dates back to early September 2024, months before the cyclone.

(This story was originally published by Logically Facts, and republished by NDTV as part of the Shakti Collective)

Amid Cyclone Fengal’s ongoing impact, Sri Lanka and parts of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are facing rough seas and strong winds. A video (here, here and here) has gone viral on social media, showing heavy rainwater flooding on roads and disrupting vehicles, with claims that it is from Marina Beach Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Let’s find the truth behind this video. (The archived post can be found here.)

Claim: The viral video shows flooded roads and vehicles struggling to navigate near Marina Beach, Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

Fact: Chennai faced flooding due to Cyclone Fengal, which started on 25 November 2024. But the viral video, which shows heavy rainfall and flooding, is actually from 2 September 2024, when Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, experienced heavy rainfall. The viral video has no relation to the recent floods in Chennai, making the claim misleading.

To verify the claim, we performed a reverse image search on Google, which led us to a video posted on Facebook on 3 September 2024. The caption of the post reads, “Heavy rain in Jeddah city“.

Another result points to the same video uploaded on YouTube by the account yahyafarsi1430, with a caption stating, “Heavy rainfall in Jeddah city on September 2.” This further confirms that the video depicts scenes from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Further research using keywords from the YouTube video led us to several reports (here, here, here and here) detailing the flooding in Jeddah. On 2 September 2024, Jeddah experienced heavy rainfall leading to flash floods that caused significant disruptions. Roads were submerged, schools were closed, and authorities issued warnings for residents to avoid valleys and waterways. At least 5 people lost their lives during these floods, highlighting the severity of the situation.

Meanwhile, Cyclone Fengal originated in the Bay of Bengal on 25 November 2024 and intensified as it moved towards the Indian coastline. It made landfall on 25 November 2024, between Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, bringing heavy rainfall, strong winds, and severe flooding. Chennai faced significant disruptions, including waterlogging and road closures, with the cyclone claiming at least 19 lives, including 5 deaths in Chennai (here, here and here). However, the viral video circulating on social media has no connection with this incident.

To sum up, visuals of flooded roads from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, were shared as being from Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

(This story was originally published by Factly, and republished by NDTV as part of the Shakti Collective)

Cyclone Fengal live updates: The remnants of Cyclone Fengal continued to bring heavy rainfall and flood situations across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, even a day after it weakened. At least 15 districts in Tamil Nadu are likely to receive heavy rainfall with the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing an ‘yellow’ alert.

At least 10 people have died in rain-related accidents in both regions.

Rescue operations are also underway with the Indian Army stepping in to evacuate stranded citizens in inundated streets.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday spoke to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, assuring him of all possible help to deal with the flood situation and the destruction caused by the Cyclone.

Here are the latest updates on Cyclone Fengal:

Cyclone Fengal: Yellow alert issued for 15 Tamil Nadu districts
The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) has issued a yellow alert for 15 districts of Tamil Nadu today, predicting heavy rain of up to 11 cm in interior and Western Ghat districts, including the Nilgiris, Krishnagiri, Tiruppur, Erode, Theni, and Madurai.

Cyclone Fengal’s devastation in 14 Tamil Nadu districts

According to an estimate by the Tamil Nadu government, Cyclone Fengal caused unprecedented devastation in 14 districts, extensively damaging roads, electricity lines and caused heavy inundation.

Cyclone Fengal: BJP’s K Annamalai visits flood-hit areas

BJP Tamil Nadu president K Annamalai today visited Tamil Nadu’s Marakkanam salt pans, which were flooded due the Cyclone Fengal. 

Speaking to reporters, he said, “We are in the Marakkanam area, the place where high cultivation of salt happens. Close to 80% of this salt bed is washed away and close to 5,000 people are losing their employment opportunity”.

PM Modi calls MK Stalin, assures all possible help

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday and assured all possible help to deal with the flood situation and devastation caused by Cyclone Fengal.

On Monday, Chief Minister Stalin had written a letter to PM Modi requesting Rs 2,000 crore from the National Disaster Relief Funds (NDRF) as interim relief to carry out rescue, relief, and rehabilitation efforts following the widespread and massive devastation caused by the Cyclone.

Heavy rainfall continues in Tamil Nadu, ‘yellow’ alert in 15 districts
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a ‘yellow’ alert predicting heavy rainfall in 15 districts of Tamil Nadu on Tuesday. Some of the districts include – Nilgiris, Krishnagiri, Tiruppur, Erode, Theni, and Madurai.