Cyclone Montha to make landfall near Kakinada on October 28, red alert issued for seven AP districts
Rain red alert has been issued for Kakinada, Konaseema, West Godavari, Krishna, Bapatla, Prakasam and Nellore districts on Monday.
Visakhapatnam: Heavy to very heavy rains are likely to occur in Kakinada, Konaseema, West Godavari, Krishna, Bapatla, Prakasam and Nellore districts on Monday and a red alert has been issued for these districts by the Meteorological department.
Heavy rains are also likely in Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Manyam, Alluri Seetharamaraju, Visakhapatnam, Anakapalle, East Godavari, Eluru, NTR, Guntur, Palnadu, Chittoor and Tirupati districts. A red alert has been issued for AP on October 27, 28 and 29.
Cyclone Montha centered 650 km away from Vizag:
The depression formed in the Bay of Bengal has strengthened and turned into a cyclonic storm, AP Disaster Management Authority said.
It is centered in the southwest-southeast central Bay of Bengal. It is moving towards the west-northwest. In the last 6 hours, it has moved at a speed of 15 km per hour. It is likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by Tuesday morning. The cyclone is centered 650 km from Visakhapatnam, 620 km from Kakinada, and 560 km from Chennai.
It is likely to move north-northwestwards and intensify into a severe cyclonic storm. Gusty winds with a speed of 50-70 km are likely to blow along the coast and it is likely to cross the coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam near Kakinada on Tuesday. "The winds are expected to reach 90-110 kmph as the cyclone approaches the coast," Meteorological Department officials said.
Holiday for educational institutions:
Holidays have been declared for educational institutions in Anakapalle, Krishna, NTR and Guntur districts till October 29 and schools are shut till tomorrow in West Godavari, Eluru, Bapatla and Kadapa districts.
Collector Himanshu Shukla has declared a holiday for educational institutions in Nellore district today.
Funds released for ‘Cyclone Montha’ relief operations:
Disaster teams have been deployed in the districts in view of the cyclone. 9 SDRF and 7 NDRF teams have been made available for relief operations. Relief camps, drinking water and food arrangements are being made.
The government has released Rs. 19 crore for relief operations. SDRF, APSDMA centers and 16 satellite phones have been set up along with 219 cyclone shelters in 57 coastal mandals. 62 mechanized boats in the sea are being brought ashore. A ban has been imposed on the movement of tourists on the seashore.