Cyclone triggers high alert in south coastal AP

Amaravati: The Indian Meteorological Division (IMD) on Saturday forecast heavy rains across parts of Andhra Pradesh for four days from November 30 under the influence of cyclonic storm Ditwah. According to the IMD, the cyclonic storm over the southwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining north Sri Lanka moved northwards at a speed of 10 kmph for six hours and remained centred over the same region as of 11:30 am on Saturday.

Under its influence, Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) managing director Prakhar Jain said isolated places in Tirupati and Chittoor districts are likely to receive heavy rainfall later in the day. Heavy rain is also expected in parts of Prakasam, Nellore, Kadapa and Annamayya districts. The IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall, and extremely heavy rainfall at isolated locations over South Coastal Andhra Pradesh (SCAP) and Rayalaseema on November 30. "Thunderstorms accompanied by lightning are likely at isolated places over SCAP, Rayalaseema, North Coastal Andhra Pradesh (NCAP) and Yanam," the IMD said in a press release. On December 1, heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected at isolated places over SCAP, along with heavy rainfall in parts of NCAP, Yanam and Rayalaseema. Heavy rain is likely at isolated places over SCAP on December 2. Thunderstorms with lightning are forecast across NCAP, Yanam, SCAP and Rayalaseema on December 1 and 2, with similar conditions expected over SCAP and Rayalaseema on December 3. Besides the rain, squally winds reaching up to 60 kmph have been forecast during the period, with gale-force winds up to 70 kmph predicted on November 30.

Chief Secretary K Vijayanand on Saturday ordered the district administrative units to issue SMS alerts to residents and farmers in vulnerable regions and prepare immediate evacuation plans as Cyclone Ditwah moves closer to the south coastal belt of the state.

Cyclone Ditwah , currently advancing at 7 kmph, is expected to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by Sunday morning before reaching the coasts of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and south coastal Andhra Pradesh.

The Weather Department has forecast heavy rainfall in Chittoor and Tirupati districts, with isolated showers likely in Nellore, Kadapa, and Annamaya. Light to moderate rain is expected in Bapatla, Palnadu, Kurnool, Nandyal, Anantapur, and Sri Sathya Sai districts.

Vijayanand held a teleconference with collectors from Chittoor, Tirupati, Annamaya, Sri Sathya Sai, Nellore, Bapatla, and Prakasam, directing them to ensure that fishermen stay off the coast until Tuesday. He instructed officials to alert farmers to safeguard paddy stocks and take precautions during field operations.

The Chief Secretary asked district authorities to identify vulnerable households, shift residents from dilapidated structures, and make advance arrangements for relief camp mobilisation. He stressed the need for rapid removal of fallen trees to avoid traffic disruption and ordered power utilities to restore supply on a war-footing in case of outages.

Vijayanand urged the public to stay indoors during the heavy rainfall and advised the administration to issue early warnings during strong winds, cautioning people to avoid standing near trees and hoardings.Senior officials, including special chief secretary agriculture B Rajasekhar, disaster management authority head MD Prakhar Jain, Civil Supplies Corporation MD Delhi Rao, IMD Amaravati director Stella, NDRF representatives, Water Resources department officials and heads of power utilities participated in the review.