Cyclone Montha Nears AP Coast; Kakinada Braces for Landfall
Cyclone Montha Nears AP Coast; Kakinada Braces for Landfall
As Cyclone Montha nears the Andhra coast, authorities activate round-the-clock monitoring, evacuations, and relief plans to minimize damage.
As Cyclone Montha closes in on the Andhra Pradesh coast, officials are pulling out all stops to keep communities safe. The government has activated round-the-clock monitoring from the RTGS Command Centre and urged district administrations to stay vigilant, ensuring that lessons from past cyclones are applied. NDRF and SDRF teams are being deployed around Kakinada as the cyclone is expected to make landfall south of the city around midnight. Officials emphasized the need for timely weather forecasts of wind and rainfall intensity to enable swift responses and reduce damage. They also stressed ready emergency machinery, robust communication networks, and tight field coordination to speed up relief and rehabilitation efforts.
To minimize disruption, authorities have prepared 401 relief centers along the Kakinada coast, and about 12,000 people have already been shifted to 76 camps. The impact on agriculture is severe, with standing crops inundated across more than 43,000 hectares. Farmers across 292 mandals and 1,712 villages have been affected, with paddy and cotton among the worst-hit crops. The government has directed officials to ensure fodder for livestock is stocked and to use drones to identify flood-hit areas, uprooted trees, and damaged power lines for rapid restoration. They also urged rapid removal of fallen trees and damaged power infrastructure to keep village connectivity intact.
The seas off the Kakinada-Uppada coast have turned rough as the storm approaches, with strong winds, heavy rainfall, and travel disruptions anticipated. Over 35 flights and 10 trains have already been affected, underscoring the broad impact of Montha on the region. Residents in low-lying areas have been asked to stay alert and evacuate if advised, while authorities continue real-time ground reporting and ground-level coordination to safeguard lives and livelihoods.
Cover image source: Cyclone Montha: 401 relief centres readied along Kakinada coast 🔗
