In Andhra Pradesh, the death toll due to cyclone Hudhud, has risen to 21. The highest 15 deaths were reported from Vishakhapatnam District that bore the brunt of the havoc while five deaths reported from Vizianagaram and one from Srikakulam district. The office of the State Disaster Management Commission told this to our Correspondent.
The restoration of power, telecommunications and water supply is underway in full swing in the cyclone ravaged Visakhapatnam. The state government has ordered 45 thousand electric polls while over 100 engineers and 500 field staff are working to restore electricity supply in the affected areas. Though some of the main roads have been cleared off from uprooted trees and collapsed polls, the restoration work of 15-kilometer long rail track near Elemancheli on Vijayawada-Visakhapatnam sections is underway.
Chief Secretary IYR Krishna Rao told our Correspondent that all out efforts are being made to restore power by this evening or by tomorrow. He said, five to six hundred relief teams are being mobilised to Visakhapatnam with the help of neighbouring states including Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Telangana.
Mr. Rao also said, the door to door enumeration of losses will be taken up very soon. He informed that hundred tonnes of food material has been distributed through Navy crafts in the cyclone hit areas of Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts.
Meanwhile, the BSNL landlines and broadband services have been restored in the cyclone affected areas. The State Government Information Advisor, Parkala Prabhakar has appealed to the people of Visakhapatnam and other affected areas to make use of the services of the public telecommunicator to seek any assistance from the authorities.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting the cyclone affected areas tomorrow. He will undertake an aerial survey of the most affected Visakhapatnam, Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts. He will come to Visakhapatnam in the afternoon.
Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has reviewed the situation at a Cabinet meeting held at the Visakhapatnam collectorate in the afternoon. Later, the Chief Minister directed the authorities to provide all amenities to the people who took shelter at the relief camps.
