As Cyclone Montha is set to make landfall near Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday evening, heavy rains occurred this morning in many coastal districts of the state and southern Odisha, where the cyclone will move after reaching.
Ganjam district of Odisha witnessed rough seas, strong winds and rain, while Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh witnessed rain due to the impact of the cyclone.
It also rained in Chennai city of Tamil Nadu this morning. According to IMD, moderate rain with light thunderstorm and lightning is likely at a few places in Chengalpattu, Chennai, Kanchipuram, Kanniyakumari, Ranipet, Tenkasi, Tiruvallur, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Tirupathur, Tiruvannamalai, Vellore, Viluppuram, Virudhunagar in the next 3 hours.
Meanwhile, speaking to ANI, IMD Hyderabad official GNRS Srinivas Rao said, “It is expected to cross Andhra Pradesh coast around Kakinada area between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam by Tuesday evening or night. Extremely heavy rainfall and gusty winds will occur over most districts of Andhra Pradesh.”
“We have issued orange alert in three districts Peddapalli, Jayashankar Bhupalpally and Mulugu. All remaining northeastern districts are on yellow alert,” he said.
Regarding cyclone ‘Montha’, Inspector Bidya Bharathi Nayak, in-charge of Marine Police Station, Aryapalli, said, “Fishing boats from Andhra Pradesh could not return due to the cyclone.
“Our Ganjam district collector has ordered to evacuate all of them to the port. We have sheltered 30 boats at Gopalpur port. They will remain there as long as the cyclone continues,” he said.
As Cyclone Montha approaches the east coast, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has directed officials to take immediate action to ensure safety of life and property and minimize damage to coastal areas.
The Chief Minister directed district collectors and superintendents of police to “shift residents of vulnerable coastal areas to rehabilitation centers without any delay”.
The Chief Minister stressed the importance of ensuring high quality food and safe drinking water in the rehabilitation centres. He also ordered the appointment of special officers to monitor the functioning of these centres.
“Precautions should be taken to prevent pollution of drinking water,” he said.
According to the official press release, district collectors have been tasked with taking full responsibility of cyclone relief measures, including monitoring of cracks in tanks and irrigation channels.
