Michaung crosses Andhra coast, to weaken into cyclonic storm

Bapatla: Severe cyclonic storm Michaung crossed south Andhra Pradesh coast close to Bapatla district between 12.30 pm and 2.30 pm on Tuesday with maximum gales of up to 90 100 km per hour speed, said an Amaravati Meteorological Centre official.

The weather system is likely to move northwards and weaken into a cyclonic storm in the next two hours, said the official.

The weather system over west-central Bay of Bengal, running near south Andhra Pradesh coast moved northwards at a speed of 11 km per hour in the past six hours and crossed Andhra Pradesh coast between 12.30 pm and 2.30 pm, according to a press release.

By 2.30 pm, it lay centred over south coastal Andhra Pradesh about 15 km southwest of Bapatla and 40 km northeast of Ongole.

While making landfall, the eye of the storm was situated near Bapatla in south Andhra Pradesh coast while the forward sector of the weather system had also entered overland. The landfall phenomenon lasted around three hours.

At many places in the affected districts of the southern state, Michaung left a trail of inundation, eroded roads, overflowing canals, swollen streams and ponds, including submerging thousands of acres of fields of crops in the agrarian state.

Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy held a review meeting to take stock of the severe cyclonic storm on Tuesday and assessed its impact and relief measures.

Officials informed that the cyclone made landfall between Nellore and Kavali and noted that the remaining part of the weather system was moving towards the sea, according to a Chief Minister's Office (CMO) statement.

Officials updated on the relief efforts being undertaken in the affected districts. CM Reddy instructed officials to take immediate measures to restore electricity in the cyclone-affected areas and also disburse compensation in the event of casualties or cattle loss.

Further, the CM instructed officials to efficiently distribute food rations deploying the ward and village volunteer system. He sanctioned Rs 22 crore for immediate relief efforts.

The state government set up helplines in the affected districts: Bapatla (8712655881), Guntur (0863 2234014), Krishna (08672 25272), NTR (0866 2575833), Chittoor (9491077356), Kadapa (08672 23272), Visakhapatnam (0891 2590100) and Tirupati (0877 2236007), among others.

Departmental helplines include Police (100, 112) and Fisheries (9390125477). In Anakapalli district, 52 rehabilitation centres have been set up and arrangements made to accommodate more than 60,000 people.

Further, the state government took steps to prevent four lakh tons of grains from getting wet. A holiday has been declared for schools in Eluru district.

In the wake of the severe cyclonic storm, several paddy fields were inundated at Sarvepalli in Nellore district. Special officer Hari Kiran went to observe Sarvepalli Reservoir. He also surveyed some affected places in Nellore town.

The services of ward and village volunteers came in handy for the state government. In Tirupati district, volunteers restricted movement of people near an overflowing bridge at Athuru village.

They shifted cyclone-affected people from an ST Colony in R Mallavaram village in Renigunta mandal to a nearby high school and also served food to them, among other relief activities.