AP’s cyclone response showed the way in using tech: CM

Vijayawada: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday showcased the state’s coordinated, technology-driven response to Cyclone Montha as a benchmark for modern disaster management, asserting that quick decisions, artificial intelligence models, and real-time monitoring had drastically reduced casualties and property loss.

Addressing a felicitation ceremony at his camp office in Undavalli, where 137 officials and personnel were honoured as ‘Montha Fighters’, Naidu said Andhra Pradesh turned the crisis into a learning opportunity. “Every disaster teaches us how to be better prepared. This time, we faced the cyclone not with fear, but with precision, teamwork and technology,” he said.

The Chief Minister said the government handled the cyclone using a five-point framework of monitoring, alert mechanism, rescue, rehabilitation, and restoration of normalcy, while leveraging data analytics and the RTGS ‘Aware 2.0’ platform. The system, he explained, enabled advance warnings to reach even remote village secretariats through automated alerts.

Naidu said the state’s Real Time Governance Society had used data from AI-based weather prediction models, satellites, and drone feeds to anticipate rainfall intensity, track wind speeds, and coordinate responses. “For the first time, we used drones to save lives, one in Parchur, where a man named Sheikh Munna was rescued from floodwaters, and 15 others trapped in a prayer hall,” he said.

The Chief Minister said 602 drones had been deployed in advance and that flood management was conducted through satellite mapping and continuous field alerts. “Our preparedness ensured that even after torrential rains, canal systems drained quickly. Ministers, MPs, MLAs, police, NDRF, SDRF, and district officials—all worked as one team,” Naidu said.

Calling the collective effort “an inspiring example of administrative coordination,” he said the Montha operation should be documented as a “model case study” for disaster response training. He added that a new village-level warning system, connected from the state capital to local command centers, will soon be rolled out to enhance early alerts. Naidu said Andhra Pradesh had historically suffered from both drought and cyclones, but sustained infrastructure investments and smarter water management had now made Rayalaseema largely drought-free and coastal regions more resilient. “We’ve shown how smart governance and teamwork can turn calamity into capability,” he said. Home and disaster management minister Vangalapudi Anitha and several senior officials attended.