JOIN US24 feared dead, 17 missing as flash floods hit Andhra's Nellore, Rayalseema regions
24 people are confirmed dead and 17 are missing in various incidents related to the heavy rains and flooding in Rayalaseema and Nellore regions of Andhra Pradesh.
Six people, including three children, died in Kadiri town in Anantapuram district on Saturday when a building under construction collapsed on two adjacent houses.
Andhra Pradesh chief minister Jaganmohan Reddy conducted an aerial survey of the flood affected areas on Saturday.
Though rains due to the depression from Bay of Bengal receded after three days, hundreds of villages remain trapped in water while several others are cut off from the outside world because of damaged roads and collapsed bridges.
According to officials, about 24,000 people across 1,316 villages have been affected in Nellore, Chittoor, Kadapa and Anantapuram districts. 1,549 houses were damaged, while the number of livestock lost is about 2,400.
20,923 evacuated people have been offered shelter in 243 relief camps.
Eight NDRF and nine SDRF teams are involved in rescue efforts in the four districts.
Some lakes like Rayalacheruvu near Tirupati are posing the danger of breaches in embankments. Officials are alerting people in nearby villages.
The temple towns of Tirumala and Tirupati witnessed unprecedented flooding, according to some, in living memory. Reddy directed the officials for immediate sanitation measures in Tirupati town and also to prepare a drainage master plan for the city. 500 personnel have been deployed from various municipalities for the relief operations and clearing of debris accumulated in the streets and drains.
Reddy assessed the rain damage in Kadapa, Renigunta, Tirupati towns, besides the inundated areas along the Papagni, Penna and Swarnamukhi rivers.
The Chief Minister also inspected the Veligallu, Annamayya, Pincha project and Cheyyeru river areas, which are severely affected. Thousands of people in these parts are awaiting government aid.
Reddy asked the authorities to provide immediate financial assistance to the flood-hit households and to assist them in their return to their homes.
Several projects, including the Somasila on Penna, are filled to the brim. The outflow from Somasila is 3.32 lakh cusecs.
Crops in over 2.5 lakh hectares were damaged, as per the initial estimate.
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