With just hours to go before the 'severe'-level Cyclone Murasu makes landfall overnight into Tuesday, authorities in Andhra Pradesh are on high alert.
At least 19 domestic flights have been cancelled across airports in the state as the cyclone prepares to lash India's eastern coast with gale-force winds of 100-110km/h, which may go up to 120km/h as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
This includes 12 flights at the Vijayawada airport, four at the Visakhapatnam airport, and three at the Tirupati airport, in addition to a few flights cancelled in Tamil Nadu as well.
While the IMD has forecast that Cyclone Murasu will make landfall overnight between Nellore and Narasapur, the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) predicts the cyclonic storm will cross the coast near Ongole.
Officials have also declared a holiday on Tuesday for schools and colleges in the Bapatla, Nellore, Krishna, NTR, Prakasam, and Guntur districts, and will take decisions on the other districts based on rainfall levels.
Preparations on a war footing
Though Murasu has been categorised as a 'severe' cyclone, and not a 'very severe' one like Arnab, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu stated that preparations for its landfall would be taken seriously.
In a high-level review meeting at Amravati, he reiterated that the next cyclone after Arnab should not lead to deaths, and that rescue personnel be kept on standby.
With moderate to heavy rain expected to hit Rayalaseema, and other districts in the Southern coastal parts of the state, the meeting also revealed that the Palnadu district was likely to receive the highest rainfall of about 30cm, followed by Prakasam with 24cm, and Markapuram with 19cm.
In that regard, the state government has released ₹37 crore in relief funds for 17 districts. While Nellore, Prakasam, Markapuram, Bapatla, Guntur, and Krishna will get ₹3 crore each, others such as Eluru, East Godavari, West Godavari, NTR, Palnadu, Tirupati, Chittoor, and Nandyal will get ₹2 crore each.
The YSR Kadapa, Sri Sathya Sai, and Annamayya districts will get ₹1 crore each.
The CM had also pointed out in the meeting that catchment areas like Nagarjunasagar, Pulichintala and Budameru could see flooding—especially Budameru, which is expected to receive about 30 thousand cusecs of floodwater.
He also warned of flooding in the Gundlakamma River and at the Prakasam Barrage on the Krishna River.
The CM warned that precautions be taken to prevent the 14,760 small irrigation tanks in the state from being damaged, as that would cause major damage to various sectors.
Another key concern discussed at the CM's review meeting was the possibility of power cuts due to electric poles falling because of the powerful winds.
So about 5,000 personnel have been kept ready for restoration work in areas like Nellore, Bapatla, NTR, Palnadu, Krishna and Prakasam, which are susceptible to such disruptions, the CM noted.
The APSDMA has also released a dedicated WhatsApp helpline, 95523 00009, for those in cyclone-hit areas to report emergencies and civic disruptions, such as power outages, uprooted trees, collapsed walls, waterlogging, and others.
