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When you’re stranded in a flood-hit part of <keyword id="12864" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Chennai">Chennai</keyword>, it’s understandable that the last thing that would be on your mind is the fact that a boat might be sent to rescue you. 
 
Infact, even entertaining the very thought seems ridiculous when you’re knee-deep in water. Like any normal person, you’re expected to wade through the muck while fervently praying that you don’t catch a cold and look at your phone with puppy dog eyes waiting for your Uber/Ola/Meru cab to be confirmed so that you can be looted off of exorbitant amount of money under the guise of surge pricing. 
 But, as it turns out taxi aggregator <keyword id="6354720" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Ola">Ola</keyword> did listened to your thoughts and deployed boats in water logged and partially submerged areas in a bid to help transport citizens stranded due to the Chennai floods. 
 All of the <keyword id="3139429" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Ola-Boats">Ola boats</keyword> (as they’ve been christened on social media) are manned by professional rowers and fishermen and these boats will also be used to provide food and drinking waster in specific areas which are reportedly short of basic supplies. 
 
 
 
Talking about the initiative, Ravi Teja, Business Head of Tamil Nadu at Ola said, “Thousands of citizens have been stranded and are suffering due to heavy rains and water logging in Chennai. While we are addressing the increased demand for transportation in the city through the Ola app, we are working closely with local stakeholders to help ferry those stranded in water logged areas. Boats deployed by Ola will help ferry people to safer areas and in distribution of essential supplies like food and drinking water in affected areas.” 
 
Each boat is said to be manned by two rowers and can ferry anywhere between five to nine people at one time. Rain-gear and umbrellas are being provided by Ola to the rowers and their respective boats to ensure people can be ferried without any hassle. 
 
The Ola team is being lauded for this clever initiative on social media with people hailing the management for being this efficient and thoughtful- however amidst all the appreciation, everyone seems to want to know the answer to the most important question- ‘Will Ola Boats have surge pricing too?’ 
 
On its behalf, Ola has confirmed that these services are being extended to the public for free. 
 
These services are expected to be available over the next three days and might get extended if water-logging continues in the city. 
 
Your turn, Uber?

Now, Ola ‘ferries' to the rescue of water-logged
Chennai!

<keyword id="12864" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Chennai">Chennai</keyword> is experiencing its heaviest rains in over 100 years which not only brought the city to a standstill but have also claimed more than 200 lives. 
 
Waterlogged streets, shut power grids, a submerged airport, flooded houses, no transport, food or electricity have become a way of life for the people residing in Chennai, some of whom have also faced the fury of these unprecedented rains when they were left stranded sans transport or any help. 
 
Even as the MeT department predicted that the incessant rains are to last for four more days, the residents of the city are of the belief that Chennai will pull through as it always had. 
 
None of this however was enough for the national media to consider the floods as an important topic to be highlighted in its various mediums- be it newspapers or TV channels. Chennai barely found a mention in either of these places and the people of the city were ultimately left to fend for themselves. 
 
Chennai’s iconic newspaper The Hindu also became a victim to the vagaries of the rains when the paper was not printed for the first time in 137 years. 
 
According to the publisher, N. Murali, the employees were unable to make it to the printing press which is located 30 kms away from the city. 
At such a time of crisis, social media turned out to be the biggest saviours, which people from all over the country and the city co-operating to help out each other in whatever way they could. 
 
Actor Siddharth, best known for his role in Rang De Basanti have been one of the few people who were very active on Twitter highlighting helpline numbers, the grim situation due to the rains and arranging for food and rescue. 
 
Superstar Rajnikanth and his son-in law Dhanush weren’t far behind, either donating Rs 10 lakh and Rs 5 lakh respectively towards the Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund. 
 
Have a look at what the people of Chennai are facing.

#ChennaiFloods: These pictures show you the grim
situation that people in Chennai are facing right now

As <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=chennai+rains">rains continued to lash Chennai</a>, apart from crippling the normal life, it also hit the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=auto+sector">auto industry</a>. 
 A lot of automobile companies in Chennai have been badly hit by <keyword id="812408" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chennai-Rains">Chennai rains</keyword>, which has halted production and despatch of vehicles. 
 
READ ALSO: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Now-Ola-ferries-to-the-rescue-of-water-loggedChennai/articleshow/49817058.cms">Now, Ola ‘ferries' to the rescue of water-logged Chennai!</a> 
 
Companies like Ford, Renault-Nissan, Daimler India and Yamaha have been affected as their factories remained closed for second consecutive day. 
 
Apparently, this has lead to a production loss of Rs 150-180 crore. 
 
The delivery of cars has been delayed by several weeks and many of them that were out for delivery are stranded in the heavy downpour. 
 
It is yet to see when the production of vehicles will re-start but reportedly, Daimler will resume on Saturday, to make up for lost production. 
 
Meanwhile, delivery of Hyundai’s Creta and Elite i20 will see a delay of at least 10 days. 
 
Production of two-wheelers has also been hit. 
 
Rakesh Srivastava, Senior VP, sales and marketing at Hyundai Motor India told ET, "So far the production is not impacted, it is normal, however there are logistical challenges. With the support of supply chain partners, teams are working continuously to tide over the situation and ensure that the vehicles are delivered in time. But still due to incessant rains, the waiting period for models may get impacted by a week to 10 days.” 
 
Torrential rains have claimed more than 79 lives and around 10,000 people have been evacuated from low lying areas. Many parts of Tamil Nadu including Cuddalore, Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur and Villupuram are submerged. 
 
READ ALSO: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/As-IAF-choppers-airlift-stranded-people-heres-why-Chennai-will-never-forget-its-worst-rain-havoc-in-the-last-10-years/articleshow/49817366.cms">As IAF choppers airlift stranded people, here’s why Chennai will never forget its worst rain havoc in the last 10 years</a> 
 
(Image: Indiatimes)

Chennai rains: Ford, Renault-Nissan and Daimler India are hurting bad with over Rs 170 cr in losses

The <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=chennai+rains">Chennai rains</a> have left <keyword id="6379816" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Telecom-operators">telecom operators</keyword> suffering with most of them incurring losses to the tune of Rs 300 crore. It has compelled Finnish network gear maker Nokia to stop production of 3G and 4G gear at its nearby factory. 
 
China's biggest telecoms gearmaker <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Huawei+">Huawei</a> also said the "flood situation had affected its Chennai factory", which purely caters to export markets such as China, Asia Pacific and the Middle East. 
 
"Out of the Rs 300 crore losses estimated by Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), Rs 100 crore is on account of network restoration and Rs 200 crore on account of revenue losses over the past seven days," Rajan Mathews, director general of the GSM industry lobby body, said. 
 
Chennai continues to reel under the worst rains in over a century with the death toll from flooding in the southern Indian city reportedly mounting to nearly 270. This has prompted the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to intensify relief and rescue operations in the flood-battered city and adjoining areas. So far, it has reportedly rescued over 10,000 people. 
 
Global network vendors such as Nokia and Huawei, who have a large manufacturing presence near Chennai, have been hit hard by the floods. 
 
Nokia said it had been compelled "to temporarily stop production at its factory" in Chennai's outskirts over the past couple of days to "prioritise safety of its employees and equipment". Some 1300 people work in Nokia's Chennai factory. 
 
Nokia's Chennai works, which is amongst its key factories globally, meets the 3G and 4G network gear requirements of the India and as many as 26 export markets across continents. 
 
A senior industry executive aware of the devastation said Nokia is closely working with its global factories in China and Finland to balance production volumes and bridge the Chennai production shortfall for meeting global customer requirements. Since Nokia follows a global supply chain, processes are in place to ensure customers can be served from its other global factories, he said. 
 
"Nokia India is also changing inbound and outbound shipping points to Bangalore instead of Chennai," and taking steps to "organise alternate shipments of raw material to ensure minimal disruption to production in times of crisis like this," said a company spokesman in a written response to ET's queries. 
 
Huawei, in turn, said the company had "established emergency support teams to ensure staff safety, equipment safety, network and services safety, as well as to communicate with customers in response to the heavy flooding in Chennai". 
 
Huawei has an existing SEZ in Chennai where it manufactures optical network transmission systems purely for export markets like China, APAC and the Middle East. 
 
China's leading telecom gear maker did not confirm if production at its Chennai unit had come to a standstill, but said "the factory has been affected by the flood situation", in response to ET's queries. 
 
The deadly floods have severely damaged telecoms infrastructure and impacted networks across all operators in a huge way. So much so, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Bharti+Airtel">Bharti Airtel</a>, <keyword id="6354924" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Idea-Cellular">Idea Cellular</keyword> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Vodafone">Vodafone</a> India have been struggling to keep their services going amid the incessant downpour and floods in the vicinity. 
 
Unavailability of grid power, water-logging resulting in submerged sites and unavailability of diesel in the absence of transportation have been listed as major roadblocks in network operations in affected areas. All telcos are also facing problems in certain areas while restoring operations because of inaccessibility to the affected sites. 
 
(Image credit: Economic Times)

Telecom companies suffer Rs 300 crore loss due to Chennai floods

With heavy, torrential rains currently lashing south India, particularly Bangalore and Chennai, life in these metros has reached a complete standstill. While there is little you can do to control nature's ongoing fury, you can safeguard your precious two- and four-wheelers, which have little respite or protection from the ongoing vagaries of rains and floods. During heavy rains, the first in line of damage is your vehicle's engine, which could cost you a bomb! If the water enters the engine's cylinder, it can cause it to seize and leave it beyond repair. Another common damage your vehicles can face during such times is <keyword id="23605837" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="electrical-failure" source="keywords">electrical failure</keyword> since water seepage can cause shorting of the electrical components, including the battery, alternator, and wiring systems. Then there's moisture seepage, which can affect your vehicle's braking and fuel systems. <h2><keyword id="20224622" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="motor-insurance" source="keywords">Motor Insurance</keyword> to the Rescue</h2> While a comprehensive motor insurance policy might protect you against accidents, thefts, and other third-party liabilities, they might fall short when it comes to safeguarding your vehicles from damages caused by natural calamities like heavy rain. As such, you can opt for a few add-ons over and above your regular motor policy to ensure you don't end up spending a hefty amount from your pockets if your vehicles need repair. "In Chennai and Bangalore, the recent heavy rains have led to several challenges, causing multiple vehicles and home damage. Urban flooding is a phenomenon now being witnessed in most metropolitan cities. Cases of vehicles being swept away in floods have also been seen, leading to total loss" Vivek Chaturvedi, CMO and Head of Direct Sales, Go Digit General Insurance "While comprehensive motor insurance policies protect your vehicle against damage from natural disasters such as floods, cyclones, and heavy rains, you should consider add-on covers like engine protection, zero depreciation, <keyword id="22024865" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="roadside-assistance" source="keywords">roadside assistance</keyword>, return to invoice, and consumables. These options help cover the costs of repairing or replacing vehicle parts and any injuries or damage from accidents," he continues. Here's a ready reckoner of all add-ons you can consider: 1. <keyword id="23605835" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="engine-protection-cover" source="keywords">Engine Protection Cover</keyword>: This cover protects your wallet from costly repairs in case your vehicle's engine is severely damaged. 2. Zero Depreciation Cover/Bumper-to-Bumper Cover: While servicing your claims, insurers generally deduct depreciation or regular wear and tear on your vehicle. This add-on guarantees you a claim without any deduction for wears and tears. 3. Roadside Assistance Cover: You never know when your vehicle might be stalled. This cover offers repair at the site, towing, and alternative travel if one’s car is stuck on waterlogged roads. It can also include services like fuel delivery, battery replacement, or flat tire repair. 4. Tire Protection Cover: It offers repair or replacement of tires damaged due to cuts, bursts, or bulges during wet, hazardous conditions. Says Kalpesh Chavan, Senior Vice President &amp; Product Head of Elephant (Corporate Insurance Wing of Alliance Insurance Brokers), "EV owners should additionally also opt for battery protection cover and electric surge secure add-on. This add-on protects the electronic pieces and circuits of electric vehicles from any short circuits, electrical arcing, or leakage, especially through water entry." <h2>Don't crank up the engine. </h2>Got a vehicle that's flooded with water? Don't try to start it forcefully. If you do so, the insurance company can decline your claim for all the damage caused by attempting to start such a flooded engine. Your best bet in such cases is to wait till the water subsides and then try revving up the engine. Chavan adds that most car owners need to take into account how disaster-prone their area is and end up estimating the wrong coverage amount for their cars. Inadequate study of the terms and conditions of the policy may lead to claim rejections when most needed. But most importantly, if your vehicle's insurance is up for renewal, do not delay or procrastinate to do the same. Or else your car could become uninsured during the most critical periods. Maintaining up-to-date records and documentation is of the essence; missing documents may trigger unwarranted delays in the processing of claims.

You Searched For "Chennai waterlogging" and got 5 results

Now, Ola ‘ferries' to the rescue of water-logged Chennai!

Poulomi Das

#ChennaiFloods: These pictures show you the grim situation that people in Chennai are facing right now

Poulomi Das

Chennai rains: Ford, Renault-Nissan and Daimler India are hurting bad with over Rs 170 cr in losses

BI India Bureau

Telecom companies suffer Rs 300 crore loss due to Chennai floods

BI India Bureau

Facing vehicle damage during heavy rains? Here's how motor insurance can come to your rescue

Ira Alok Puranik

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