Tamil Nadu government on Monday urged the Centre to immediately assist ₹2,000 crore from the National Disaster Response Fund to temporarily restore damaged infrastructure and livelihood affected by Cyclone Fengal.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister MK Stalin said Cyclone Fengal has caused unprecedented devastation across 14 districts of Tamil Nadu.

It initially brought heavy rainfall to the districts of Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, and Mayiladuthurai. Subsequently, districts such as Chennai, Thiruvallur, Kanchipuram, Chengalpattu, and Villupuram experienced extremely heavy rainfall.

Upon its landfall on December 1, the districts of Villupuram, Kallakurichi, Cuddalore, and Tiruvannamalai suffered extensive damage to roads and electricity lines as wind speeds reached a very high speed of 90 km/h. The storm also caused heavy inundation and damages in the interior districts of Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Ranipet, Vellore, and Tirupathur.

The deluge has caused extensive disruptions, inundating vast areas, displacing population and severely impacting infrastructure and livelihood. A total of 69 lakh families and 1.5 crore individuals have been adversely affected by this calamity. The districts of Villupuram, Tiruvannamalai and Kallakurichi, in particular, received rainfall equivalent to an entire season’s average (more than 50 cm) in a single day, resulting in widespread flooding and severe damage to infrastructure and crops.

The catastrophic event has resulted in the loss of 12 human lives, 2,416 huts, 721 houses and 963 cattle, inundation of 2,11,139 hectares of agricultural and horticultural land, damage to 9,576 km of roads, 1,847 culverts and 417 tanks, destruction of 1,649 km of electric conductors, 23,664 electric poles and 997 transformers, severe impairment of 1,650 Panchayat buildings, 4,269 Anganwadi Centers, 205 Primary Health Centers, 5,936 school buildings, 381 community halls and 623 water supply schemes.

“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. Given the magnitude of destruction and the urgent need for restoration, I humbly request immediate release of an interim relief amounting to ₹2,000 crores from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF). This assistance will significantly aid emergency restoration and rehabilitation efforts,” the letter said.

“I request the deputation of a Central Team at the earliest to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the damages. Based on their findings, I seek your kind consideration for further financial assistance to address the unprecedented adverse impact on infrastructure, agriculture and livelihoods in the affected districts. I am confident that Government of India will support Tamil Nadu at this crucial moment to overcome this crisis and quickly restore normalcy. I look forward to your support and a favourable response at the earliest,” the letter said.

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