Heavy rains lash Andhra Pradesh; alert sounded, over 50 trains cancelled

Heavy rains accompanied by squally winds lashed parts of coastal Andhra Pradesh on Monday, December 17, as the severe cyclonic storm 'Phethai' is set to hit the coast near Kakinada later in the day, said officials.

Incessant rains were lashing East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna and Guntur districts since Sunday night under the impact of 'Phethai' in Bay of Bengal. Squally winds have uprooted trees and electricity poles in some places.

Electricity supply to Kakinada town and several other parts of East Godavari district was snapped. The meteorologists have asked people to remain indoors during the landfall of the storm.

Authorities have sounded red alert in seven out of nine coastal districts and opened over 300 relief camps to provide shelter to people evacuated from coastal villages and low-lying areas.

A holiday was declared for all educational institutions in the coastal district. Authorities have also suspended long-distance bus services and cancelled several trains as a precautionary measure.

The South Central Railway has cancelled over 50 trains in coastal Andhra Pradesh in view of severe cyclonic storm Phethai, which is set to hit the coast near Kakinada on Monday afternoon.

Many trains from Vijayawada to various destinations in coastal Andhra were suspended as a precautionary measure.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu reviewed the situation with district collectors through video-conference from Amaravati. He directed them to treat this as an emergency situation and gear up the district administration to prevent loss of life.

Andhra Pradesh on Sunday had sounded a high alert in the coastal region as a cyclonic storm in the Bay of Bengal was heading towards it and was likely to cross the region between Kakinada and Visakhapatnam on Monday.

Real Time Governance Society (RTGS) of the state government alerted all nine coastal districts. The State Disaster Response Force (SRDF) and National Disaster Response Force were kept on standby.

Cyclonic storm lay centred at 2.30 pm on Sunday at about 480 km southeast of Machilipatnam and 510 km south-southeast of Kakinada.

“However, due to unfavourable environmental conditions, it is likely to weaken slightly before landfall and cross coast as a cyclonic storm,” said Cyclone Warning Centre at Visakhapatnam in its bulletin on Sunday.

Parts of the coastal region, especially Krishna district, on Sunday, December 16, started experiencing rains and strong winds. The sea became rough.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu directed the Collectors of coastal districts to take all precaution to prevent loss of lives.

According to Visakhapatnam Cyclone Warning Centre, 'Phethai' will intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm over the next few hours and weaken slightly before making a landfall on Monday afternoon.

The Met office has forecast rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy falls at isolated places over coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam district of Puducherry on Sunday and Monday.

The Cyclone Warning Centre has warned storm surge of up to one metre could inundate the low lying areas of Visakhapatnam, East Godavari, West Godavari, Krishna and Guntur districts of coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam district of Puducherry at the time of landfall.

Fishermen were advised not to venture into the sea.

with IANS inputs.

*Developing story