Severe Cyclonic Storm Murasu wreaked havoc in Andhra Pradesh after crossing the coast near Ongole in the early hours of Tuesday. The cyclone left a trail of destruction across several coastal districts, as torrential rain, gale-force winds, and severe flooding disrupted normal life.
Thousands of trees were uprooted, hundreds of electricity poles were damaged, fishing boats were damaged, standing crops suffered extensive losses and transport services were hit in several parts of the state.
Vehicles were stranded on national highways, and motorists struggled to navigate through poor visibility as heavy rain and gusty winds battered the region.
No casualties have been reported so far.
Murasu formed over South Coastal Andhra Pradesh and moved north-northwestwards with a speed of 8 kmph in the past six hours and lay centred over the same region at 8.30 am, an official told PTI.
According to the weather agency, the system is likely to weaken into a cyclonic storm by noon and further into a deep depression by Tuesday midnight.
IMD said that Murasu is expected to move northwestward into the interior districts of coastal Andhra Pradesh before gradually curving north and north-northeast. As friction over land cuts off its oceanic moisture engine, the system will weaken rapidly from a severe cyclonic storm to a cyclonic storm, further degrading into a deep depression.
Andhra districts including Bapatla and Prakasam witnessed heavy rainfall and gusty winds causing extensive damage.
At least 19 domestic flights were cancelled across three airports in Andhra Pradesh on Monday as Murasu approached the coast.
IndiGo had cancelled 10 flights and Air India Express two, said Vijayawada Airport director M. Lakshmi Kantha Reddy.
Meanwhile, four flights were cancelled at Visakhapatnam Airport, while Tirupati Airport director D. Boominathan said IndiGo had cancelled flights to Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Bengaluru.
Red alerts across several districts
IMD has issued red alerts for Krishna, Guntur, Bapatla, Palnadu, Markapuram and Prakasam districts. Moderate to heavy rainfall is also expected in East Godavari, Polavaram, Kakinada, Konaseema, Prakasam and Markapuram districts.
Flash flood warnings have been issued for low-lying watersheds in Bapatla, Palnadu, NTR, and SPSR Nellore districts.
Andhra Pradesh Meteorological Department Director K. Nagaratna said the system was weakening but remained dangerous because of strong winds and heavy rain. She advised fishermen not to venture into the sea until Wednesday.
Relief measures in place
Authorities have stepped up precautionary measures in vulnerable areas as the cyclone continues to weaken inland.
NTR District Collector Lakshmisha said there were no major issues in the district so far due to Cyclone Murasu. However, some families had been shifted to relief camps as a precautionary measure because of possible landslides in Mogalrajapuram.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday spoke with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and offered all possible Central assistance amid Cyclone Murasu.
In a post on X, Shah said, “Already, NDRF and SDRF teams are on the ground, undertaking relief measures and standing as a support for the people in the cyclone-affected areas. The Government of India stands with the people of Andhra Pradesh with a firm resolve to face any kind of situation”.
Odisha schools shut
The Odisha government has moved more than 1.60 lakh people to safety and deployed disaster response teams in five southern districts as Severe Cyclonic Storm Murasu approaches the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh coast.
Nodal officers have been appointed in every Odisha village to coordinate preparedness and emergency response measures, while public awareness campaigns are being conducted through loudspeakers.
Educational institutions in Malkangiri and Kandhamal districts will remain closed on Tuesday and Wednesday as well.
In Koraput district, around 500 people have so far moved to permanent shelters. The administration has kept 506 shelters ready, of which three in Kotpad, Borigumma and Laxmipur are operational.
