Severe Cyclone Montha heads towards Andhra Pradesh, CM Naidu puts top officials on alert

Cyclone Montha was named by Thailand.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday told officials to remain alert, directing them to ensure no hurdles in essential services, especially when the cyclone makes landfall.

The district collectors of Guntur, Nellore, Chittor, Kakinada, Bapatla, and YSR Kadapa have set up special control rooms to assist people, if necessary, after the cyclone makes landfall. The Rayalaseema region has also been put on alert.

The Chief Minister conducted a teleconference with district collectors and superintendents of police (SPs) on Saturday in view of the cyclone becoming more severe. He asked officials to remain alert with the IMD having issued a red alert in view of the cyclone being predicted to cross the coast near Kakinada on October 28, resulting in strong winds with a speed of 90-110 km.

The Chief Minister also said that holidays should be declared for educational institutions if necessary, and that information should be passed on to the ground in real time.

He said the teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) should be deployed to vulnerable districts, and that “hospitals on wheels” should be kept ready in Kakinada.

He directed officials to take measures for the uninterrupted supply of power and drinking water in cyclone-affected districts.

Officials said that most of the coastal districts and the Rayalaseema region have already declared holidays on October 27 and 28 for all educational institutions.

As per the IMD, the “severe” cyclone is expected to make landfall along the Andhra Pradesh coast on the evening or night of October 28, with wind speeds expected to reach 90-100 km/hr, gusting to 110 km/hr. As per the IMD trajectory forecast, the cyclone will cross Andhra Pradesh, between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam near Kakinada.

Light to moderate intensity rainfall has already commenced over coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam and is likely to continue through the next five-six days, the IMD has warned.

Early Saturday, the depression over the southeast Bay of Bengal had moved westwards and was located about 440 km west-southwest of Port Blair, 970 km southeast of Visakhapatnam, 970 km east-southeast of Chennai, 990 km southeast of Kakinada, and 1,040 km south-southeast of Gopalpur, Odisha.