Cyclone Jal hurtling towards Andhra coast,people to be evacuated from 4 districts

The weather office said the storm was expected to intensify further moving west-northwestwards and cross north Tamil Nadu and south Andhra Pradesh coast between Puducherry and Nellore by tomorrow night.

Under the influence of the cyclone,expected to make landfall packing windspeed of nearly 140 km per hour,north coastal Tamil Nadu,Puducherry and south coastal Andhra Pradesh would receive heavy rains.

The weather office said that the cyclone would wreak havoc destroying thatched roofs and huts,and could damage power and communication lines due to uprooting of large avenue trees.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has already alerted the state governments of Andhra Pradesh,Tamil Nadu and Puducherry about the impending natural calamity.

“We have National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) stationed near Chennai and have also moved NDRF from Vijayawada to Nellore,” M Shashidhar Reddy,Member,NDMA said.

He said the state administrations were in the process of identifying safe places for people who would have to be evacuated before the cyclone hits the coast.

“The situation is under constant watch and inundation maps would be ready by tomorrow morning after which the decision to evacuate people would be taken by the local authorities,” Reddy said.

The weather office has advised total suspension of fishing operations and asked fishermen not to venture into the sea. It has also recommended shifting coastal hutment dwellers to safer places.

“Gale winds speed reaching 60-70 kmph gusting to 80 kmph would prevail along and off North Tamil Nadu,Puducherry and south Andhra Pradesh coasts from tonight,” the weather office said.

The wind speed may increase up to 120-130 kmph gusting to 140 kmph at the time of landfall,it said adding that the sea conditions will be very rough along and off these coasts becoming phenomenal at the time of landfall.

The India Meteorological Department has a network of Doppler Weather Radars (DWR) at Chennai,Machhilipattanam and Vishakhapatanam which could accurately forecast the movement of the weather system once it nears the coast. DWRs have a range of upto 450 kms.