AP braces for cyclone Murasu

Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh braced for a second severe cyclone within a week, cancelling several flights, putting disaster response teams on alert and shifting thousands of people to safety on Monday.

A few days after Cyclone Arnab devastated the state, Cyclone Murasu, a name meaning war drum, is expected to make landfall between Nellore and Narsapur in south Andhra Pradesh between Monday midnight and Tuesday early morning with wind speeds of 100-110 kmph, gusting up to

120 kmph. "The severe cyclonic storm Murasu is very likely to move northwestwards and cross the south Andhra Pradesh coast as a severe cyclonic storm with a wind speed of 100 to 110 kmph and gusting up to 120 kmph between Nellore and Narasapur to the south of Ongole during midnight (11.30 pm) of November 2 to early hours (4 am) of tomorrow, November 3," the Met department said in an official release. The cyclone was moving at a speed of 13 kmph by Monday evening, according to an update issued by the Real Time Governance Society (RTGS) and Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) at 8 pm on Monday.

At least 19 domestic flights were cancelled at Vijayawada, Tirupati and Visakhapatnam airports in Andhra Pradesh on Monday. Of these, IndiGo cancelled 10 flights and Air India Express two at Vijayawada Airport. Visakhapatnam Airport cancelled four flights and Tirupati Airport three. Other transport services are also put on high alert.

APSDMA Managing Director and RTGS Chief Executive Officer Prakhar Jain urged people in the potentially affected districts to remain indoors and take all necessary precautions. During the cyclone’s landfall process, strong gale-force winds with speeds ranging from 100 to 110 kmph are likely to prevail in the affected coastal areas.

The powerful winds, accompanied by heavy rainfall, could cause damage to trees, electric poles, power infrastructure and temporary structures.

Meanwhile, the APSDMA has issued a specific warning of extremely heavy to exceptionally heavy rainfall in several mandals of Prakasam district under the influence of Cyclone Murasu.

The district is expected to experience intense spells of rain as the cyclone approaches and crosses the coastline.

According to officials, exceptionally heavy rainfall is likely in three mandals of Prakasam district, namely Kothapatnam, Ongole Rural and Chinaganjam. The authorities have warned that these areas could receive very intense rainfall, requiring residents to exercise extreme caution and avoid venturing outdoors unnecessarily.

Similarly, very heavy rainfall is forecast in the following mandals: Naguluppalapadu, Ongole Urban, Vetapalem, Tanguturu, Singarayakonda, Ulavapadu, Maddipadu, Gudluru, Jarugumalli, Santhanuthalapadu and Kandukur.

Nellore district is also likely to bear the brunt of severe cyclonic storm on Tuesday, with torrential rains and strong winds disrupting normal life in several parts of the region. The intensifying storm triggered an alert across the coastal belt, with 13 mandals facing a potential threat. The vulnerable coastal mandals include Kavali, Bogolu, Allur, Kodavalur, Vidavalur, Indukurupeta, TP Gudur, Muthukur, Kodur, Venkatachalam, Chittamur, Kota and Vakadu.

Prakhar Jain appealed to the public to remain extremely alert as the cyclone was nearing the coastline. He stressed that people should remain inside their houses and move to safer locations if advised by the authorities.

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