Strong winds reach 78 kmph in Polavaram district

Rampachodavaram: Strong winds triggered by Cyclone Arnab continued to affect Polavaram district, with wind speeds reaching 77.72 kmph, District Collector K Dinesh Kumar said on Wednesday. He warned that wind speeds could touch 80 kmph as rain-bearing clouds moved towards the district from East Godavari and Konaseema districts.

The Collector said strong winds were likely to continue until Thursday evening before gradually weakening. He directed officials to remain alert and expedite relief and restoration works, giving priority to road connectivity, damaged culverts and electricity supply.

According to the report received by 6 pm on Wednesday, the district recorded an average rainfall of 64.11 mm across 12 mandals. Rajavommangi received the highest rainfall of 145.2 mm, followed by Addateegala with 104.2 mm, Devipatnam with 95 mm and Gangavaram with 89.8 mm. Y Ramavaram and Gutteda recorded 73.4 mm each, while Rampachodavaram received 56.4 mm. Of the 2,505 trees uprooted on roads across the district, 2,452 had been cleared. The Collector directed officials to deploy additional teams and machinery to remove the remaining trees and restore traffic movement at the earliest.

Two road obstructions and eight culvert cut-offs were reported. Of the eight affected culvert locations, six were in Rajavommangi and one in Devipatnam, while the remaining location was also being addressed.

The cyclone also damaged 153 electricity poles, of which restoration work had been completed on 82. As many as 199 rehabilitation centres had been established across the 12 mandals. Officials were instructed to ensure that the centres were adequately equipped and provide assistance according to local requirements. The collector called for special attention to the safety of 2,452 pregnant women and 2,505 lactating mothers identified across the district.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Deekshitula Subrahmanyam

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Deekshitula RV Subrahmanyam is a Staff Reporter with The Hans India, covering the erstwhile East and West Godavari districts, along with Alluri Sitarama Raju and Polavaram districts. A journalist with experience of over three decades, he began his career as a Telugu mofussil reporter in 1991. He writes extensively on politics, tribal affairs, rural development, tourism, development, and human-interest stories He is the author of the six-part Telugu prose Ramayana Sitarama Kathasudha and has received several literary and journalistic honours, including the JCI Young Writer Award, Vadlamudi Rammohan Rao Memorial Award and Madduri Annapurnayya Memorial Award.

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