Cyclone Thane pounds Andhra

People evacuated from coastal and low-lying villages

Cyclone Thane finally subsided on Friday evening after bashing the south coastal shore of Andhra Pradesh for almost two days.

Heavy rains were reported from two tehsils in the coastal Nellore district which received 9.8 cm of rain, while 174 other tehsils received moderate rains.

Heavy rain accompanied by strong gale lashed south coastal Andhra and Chittoor district of Rayalaseema region under the impact of Thane, which hit the coast between Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on Friday morning. Parts of Nellore, Prakasam, Guntur and Chittoor districts have been receiving rain since the morning, officials said.

Two villages of Kandriga block in Chittoor district have been inundated. There were reports of strong gales uprooting trees in the coastal areas. High tidal waves continued to slam the coast. Sea water entered into houses near Suryalanka coast in Guntur district. Chittoor, Tirupati and other towns in Chittoor district received heavy rain since early morning. Authorities have declared a holiday for all educational institutions.

Expecting a major disaster, the state government also deputed four senior IAS officials to Nellore, Prakasam, Guntur and Chittoor districts to supervise rescue and relief operations. As a precautionary measure authorities have evacuated people from some coastal and low-lying villages.

Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, who is currently in New Delhi, reviewed the situation with Revenue Minister Raghuveera Reddy and chief secretary Pankaj Dwivedi over phone.
Later in the evening on Friday, briefing reporters after a review meeting Raghuveera said the sea had calmed and no damage to property or casualties had been reported. “By God’s grace, there is no loss of life or property anywhere. Everything is returning to normal, the minister said.

However, all relief teams including the National Disaster Response Force, have been asked to remain on alert for another day. Fishermen, too, have been advised not to venture into the sea for one more day.