One killed as season's first major cyclone makes landfall near Kakinada on AP coast

Kakinada: The season's first major cyclonic storm, Cyclone Montha, hit Andhra Pradesh coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam near the city of Kakinada on Tuesday night. Wind speeds exceeding 100 kilometres per hour along with heavy rain lashed the coast as Montha made landfall as a severe cyclonic storm.

Montha is the second cyclone to form in Oct this year, after Cyclone Shakti that developed off Gujarat coast in the Arabian Sea earlier this month. The landfall process started around 7.30 pm, and it took around three to four hours for the cyclone to cross the coast.

The high winds uprooted trees and damaged power lines along Kakinada, Uppada, Thallarevu, Pithapuram, Thondangi, Yanam, Peddapuram, and other coastal areas. As vehicular movement was disrupted, NDRF, SDRF, and fire services personnel were immediately pressed into service to clear the roads.

One death was reported from Makanapalem in Mamidikuduru mandal, when a tree fell on a woman. She died on the spot.

The sea turned very rough in Uppada locality of Kakinada district, with surging waves rising to heights of 10 feet at some places. The high waves caused damage to the beach road between Kakinada and Uppada, with police closing it for safety reasons. Sea water also entered some homes in Uppada. Around 10,000 people, mostly fishermen families, were evacuated from around 65 villages in 12 coastal mandals along Kakinada coast hours before the landfall.

While the wind speed was around 100 kmph in Kakinada region, it raged between 70 and 80 kmph in Machilipatnam. Kakinada district collector S Shan Mohan said NDRF and SDRF personnel are engaged in relief operations in the affected areas. "Helipads have been kept ready to airlift people from submerged areas as and when required. Over 200 swimmers and 140 boats are ready for relief and rescue operations," he said.

In Konaseema district, 1,200 people were shifted from Katrenikona in boats. District collector R Mahesh Kumar said a woman, identified as Gudavalli Veeramani, was killed when a tree fell on her at Makanapalem in Mamidikuduru mandal. She died on the spot.

Meanwhile, eight flight services from Rajahmundry airport were cancelled on Tuesday. While three out of 11 flights departed to Hyderabad and New Delhi in the morning, eight flight services to Tirupati, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Mumbai, which were scheduled for afternoon and evening departures, were cancelled.

In Kakinada, around 65 villages in 18 mandals and five urban habitations were affected by the storm. District collector Shanmohan Sagili said 12,135 people have been shifted to 76 cyclone relief centres. "Two NDRF teams with 54 personnel, and one SDRF team with 50 personnel have been pressed for relief work. As many as 259 medical camps with 185 doctors, 1,710 medical staff, 23 ambulances, 7,150 anti-rabies vaccines, 1,773 anti-snake venom doses, and 2.5 lakh chlorine tablets are kept ready," he said, while adding that nearly 1,000 cattle from low-lying areas have been shifted to safer places and veterinary medical camps have been set up with 200 metric tonnes of grazing and 17,000 vaccines.

In West Godavari, 8,000 people have been evacuated and shifted to 45 cyclone relief centres. District collector Ch Naga Rani said Vemula Deevi, Biyyapu Thippa, Pedamainvani Lanka, and Chinamaina Vani Lanka villages are likely to be affected by the cyclone. Two APSP teams, three Greyhound teams, 36 NDRF and 100 SDRF personnel have been kept ready," she said.