Official machinery gears up to face cyclone fury

• Schools, colleges shut today & tomorrow
• Konaseema set to be worst-hit; Officials asked to evacuate people
• Five NDMA teams deployed

Hyderabad: The government was bracing itself to face the onslaught of super cyclone Leher, third in last one and half months to hit the state, expected to cross the coast between Kakinada and Machilipatnam on Friday night. Under its influence, heavy to very heavy rains were expected in East and West Godavari districts and moderate rains in Krishna, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts. The Government directed the concerned district collectors to take up measures to minimize loss of life and property.

In East Godavari district, which is expected to face brunt of cyclone fury, the Collector, Neetu Prasad directed the officials on Tuesday to evacuate people from Lanka villages and habitats within two kilometers from sea coast immediately keeping the warning of Super cyclone ‘Leher’ in mind. She said that five teams from National Disaster Management Authority reached the district and were placed at Katrenikona, Razole, I Polavaram, Amalapuram and Sakhinetipalli and five more teams would arrive by Tuesday night. In a video conference with RDOs, special officers and Taheslidar, she directed the officials to evacuate people from Lanka villages to relief camps by Tuesday night as it would be difficult to shift them by boats once rain and heavy winds started. She made it clear that they should even support of police force if they refused to leave.

She directed the special officers to reach their centers by Tuesday night to monitor evacuation. She said schools and colleges in the district on Wednesday and Thursday. She further directed the RTC suspend its bus services on Thursday to prevent incidents like overturning and falling of trees on buses due to gale winds. Neetu Prasad said that stocks of diesel, kerosene, JCBs, fire tenders, boats, vehicle with swimmers, generators, ambulances, essential goods and power saw blades should be kept at all mandal headquarters. She urged that medical officers, medical teams with staff and medicines should made available in all relief centers.

Neetu Prasad urged oil and corporate companies which have activities along with the coast to be alert and to assist the district machinery in relief works. She urged that every organization to make one contact person available at control room from Wednesday for immediate response. She suggested to BSNL and other cell phone companies to set up generators with fuel stock at cell towers to prevent interruption to communication system.

Vizag admn. geared up

In Visakhapatnam, the district administration was geared up to face cyclone Leher by taking precautionary measures, District Collector Solomon Arokiaraj said here on Tuesday. He tod media persons that shifting of people from the 11 coastal mandals had already begun. Six NDRF teams had arrived. Navy, Army teams and helicopters were kept at ready for operations, he added.

In view of Leher cyclone, the district administration has declared a holiday for all the educational institutions in the district on Thursday. Even the trains and buses would prune their operations during the cyclone.

There would be interruptions in power supply, the Collector said. However, to keep the communication network intact, all the operators were asked to store enough diesel to run generators. Arokiaraj said that the fishermen should not venture into sea and those already in the sea, should return immediately. On Wednesday, all the fishing operations would be suspended, he declared.

Krishna district Collector told the media on Tuesday that seven mandals in the district were likely to be affected the cyclone Leher. He said there was the likely to be gale winds under its influence and appealed to people not to come on the roads when the high velocity winds set in.

Srikakulam district Collector Saurabh Gaur said four mandals in the district were likely to hit by the cyclone. He said 17 rehabilitation camps were kept ready to accommodate 15 thousand people. Special officers were appointed for 11 coastal mandals to take immediate rescue and rehabilitation measures to save loss of life and property. He said 4 NDRF teams were kept ready in the district.

In Vizianagaram district, district officials were kept on high alert to face the cyclone Leher. Five officers were deputed to keep an eye on 23 villages on the sea coast.

Raghuveera reviews preparations

Eluru: There is no shortage of funds for shifting people to safer places as a precautionary measure and taking up relief work for their benefit, in the light of severe cyclone ‘Lehar’ striking West Godavari district.

This was stated here on Tuesday by Revenue Minister N Raghuveera Reddy while talking to press persons, after holding a review meeting with officials at the collectorate. He said the collector has been empowered to take up short-term delta modernization works.

The Minister announced that the collector has been given powers to spend the required funds of crores of rupees under the TR-27 account. He assured payment of input subsidy to farmers affected by cyclones ‘Phailin’ and ‘Helen’, after asking Joint Collector Dr T Baburao Naidu to appoint teams to shortly identify farmers in each village.

Reddy asked officials to take prompt action in preventing deaths, when the cyclone strikes two days later, by shifting people to safer places and taking care of their needs till the return of normality.

Minister Vatti Vasanth Kumar, Narsapur MP K Bapiraju, Tanuku MLA K Venkata Nageswara Rao, DCCB chairman Muthyala Ratnam, Minor Irrigation Development Corporation chairman Ganta Murali, Irrigation SE Sudhakar, DRO Prabhakara Rao attended the review meeting.