Boats parked on a beach as a precautionary measure against Cyclone Montha.
Credit: PTI Photo
Hyderabad: A red alert has been sounded from Nellore to Srikakulam districts in Andhra Pradesh after a depression over the Bay of Bengal intensified into Cyclone Montha.
Coastal regions began experiencing strong winds and intermittent rainfall from Monday morning.
All government employees’ leaves have been cancelled in light of the cyclone threat. Control centres of the SDRF and APSDMA have been activated, and satellite phones arranged to maintain communication. Authorities have set up cyclone shelters across 57 coastal mandals and brought 62 mechanized boats back to shore.
Tourist movement along coastal areas has been banned, while educational institutions in most coastal districts have been closed until Wednesday. SDRF and NDRF teams were kept on standby for emergency operations. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) stated that as of Monday, Cyclone Monthawas located about 520 km east-southeast of Chennai, 570 km south-southeast of Kakinada, 600 km south-southeast of Visakhapatnam, 750 km south of Gopalpur, and 850 km west of Port Blair. The system is expected to move north-northwestward and intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by Tuesday morning, before crossing the Andhra Pradesh coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam around Kakinada on Tuesday evening or night, with wind speeds reaching 90–100 kmph, gusting up to 110 kmph.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu reviewed the developing situation from the Real Time Governance Centre (RTGS) at the Secretariat on Monday and spoke with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who assured full support from the Union Government.
The Chief Minister also instructed authorities to monitor the cyclone’s movement hour-to-hour and take zero-risk measures, especially in coastal and low-lying habitations. He has also appealed to citizens to stay indoors and remain vigilant until all-clear instructions are issued.
Minister for Disaster Management & RTGS Nara Lokesh is co-ordinating inter-departmental response, communication systems, and district-level readiness. The Minister has directed all municipal bodies and district administrations to operate 24×7 control rooms, ensure uninterrupted communication, and issue alerts through RTGS, APSDMA and local networks.
Vulnerable populations, including pregnant women, elderly and coastal belt residents have been shifted to safer locations. Around 260 relief centres in Kakinada and 140 in Nellore, with food, milk and water stocked for 2–3 days have been readied.
Government also said that 364 schools were readied as shelters and 14,000+ schools given precautionary holiday in affected areas. All beaches have been closed and fishermen prohibited from venturing into the sea. Around 11 NDRF and 12 SDRF teams positioned for rescue, evacuation and flood response.
RTGS War room will be running 24×7 tracking rainfall, wind, inundation, reservoirs, traffic, and field alerts. Satellite phones, V-SATs, digital radios, repeaters, and wireless support are pre-positioned to prevent network failure.
The situation is being monitored minute-to-minute, and all departments have been put on highest preparedness mode.