Pioneer / Delhi 31/10/06
9c/ap/s/o
Cyclone crosses Andhra coast, batters Guntur
Omer Farooq | Hyderabad
The cyclonic storm in the west central Bay of Bengal crossed the southern coast of
Andhra Pradesh between Bapatla in Guntur and Ongole in Prakasham district battering
the coastal belt of the two districts, claming at least 12 lives on Monday. The worst
affected Guntur district reported 10 deaths in house collapses and drowning incidents.
Two deaths were reported from East and Godavari districts. More than 15,000 people
have been moved to 67 relief camps in the affected districts.
The area was battered by winds of up to 70 to 80 km speed as the eye of the cyclone hit
the area closer to Bapatla enveloping it in heavy rains. Coconut and other trees wilted
under the powerful winds as the area was engulfed in darkness and the electricity supply
was disrupted under the impact of the cyclonic winds.
The entire coastal belt form Nellore to Srikakulam received heavy to very heavy rains
under the influence of cyclone which has now weakened and lay centered over Bapatla.
The Cyclone warning center in Visakhapatnam said that the system would move in the
north-north westerly direction and weaken further. Heavy rains have been forecast over
the next 24 hours over coastal Andhra as well as the Telangana districts of Khammam
and Nalgonda. Hyderabad was also likely to received intermittent showers over the next
24 hours.
As life was thrown out of gear in several places along the coast, the Government has put
the administration on alert in seven coastal districts from Nellore to Visakhapatnam.
People living in low lying areas have also been cautioned to remain alert and prepared for
moving on a short notice to safer places.
The Hyderabad Meteorological Centre said that the cyclonic storm was very close to
Ongole and it was likely to cross the coast on Monday afternoon between Ongole and
Machilpatnam. Director of the centre Sitakumar said that rains were likely to continue for
another 24 hours in the region where almost all the rivulets and tanks were overflowing.
Prasad Rao, the director of Visakhapatnam Cyclone Warning Centre has warned that the
cyclone would be accompanied by tidal wave of one hand a half metres above normal
and gale winds of up to 70 kms per hour. Sitakumar said Machlipatnam recorded 27 cms
of rains while Bapatla in Guntur district recorded 20 cms of rains.
In view of the warning that the cyclone storm can cause large-scale damages to the
properties and house collapse, the administration was put on high alert in Prakasham and
Guntur districts. The electricity supply has also been shut down. The system was causing
heavy rains of up to 35 cms at several places in the region.
In another incident, one bogey of the Howrah-Secunderabad Falaknuma Express derailed
between Sripuram and Pedakurapadu in Guntur district in the early hours of Monday.
However, nobody was injured in the incident. A spokesperson of the South Central
Railway in Hyderabad said that leaving behind the affected bogey the remaining train
continued its onward journey to Hyderabad. But some other trains running between
Guntur and Hyderabad have been either cancelled or diverted to the Vijaywada section.
Water entered several low-lying residential areas in Vijaywada city and in Chirala in
Guntur district. The roads linking Ongole and Chirala with the outside are either
submerged under several feet of water or washed away.
The rail tracks have also come under water under several places and the train service
between Vijaywada and Tirupati has also been affected. The air traffic from
Visakhapatnam has also been hit hard by the inclement weather.
Danger mark No 6 has been hoisted at Kakinada airport and danger No 3 in Srikakulam.
Fishermen have been asked not to venture into the sea in view of the rough weather
conditions.
The entire coastal Andhra has been receiving heavy rains for the last three days.