Districts along the Bay of Bengal coast in Andhra Pradesh have been put on high alert as the deep depression that lay centred between Chennai and Nagapattinam is expected to turn into a cyclone by tomorrow. Met department said, the cyclonic storm will move westwards for some more time and come very close to Sri Lanka coast and then move northwestwards and cross north Tamil Nadu and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coast between Nagapattinam and Nellore by tomorrow afternoon. Heavy winds with a speed ranging from 45-55 kmph are expected under the impact.
A third warning signal has been issued in Krishnapatnam, Vadarevu, Machilipatnam and Nizampatnam ports while fishermen have been warned not to venture into sea. Control rooms have been opened in the coastal districts, particularly SPS Nellore and Prakasam that are expected to have major impact of the cyclone.
Nellore district Collector B Sridhar said revenue staff in 23 tehsils in the coastal region have been put on alert to handle any eventuality. In Krishna, which is a high cyclone-prone district, Collector Buddha Prakash Jyothi opened control rooms in coastal areas and got a campaign conducted asking fishermen to stay away from the sea. In Singarayakonda area in Prakasam district, high tides were witnessed this morning causing alarm among people. However, no damage has been reported so far.
In Tamil Nadu, the deep depression has brought heavy rains in coastal areas prompting the government to declare a holiday for schools. The MET department has forecast heavy to extremely heavy rainfall up to 25 cm or more besides squally winds reaching up to 45-55 kmph of speed and gusting up to 65 kmph off north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts during next 12 hours. It further said,the fishermen along north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts are advised not to venture into the sea as sea condition will be very rough to high along and off north Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh coasts during next 48 hours. Chennai, Kancheepuram, Cuddalore and Villupuram received heavy rains in the morning, inconveniencing office-goers.
In Puducherry, the government has geared up its machinery to meet any emergency posed by the cyclonic storm. The District Collector Mr. Deepak Kumar said ,six emergency control rooms have been set up to work round the clock to give latest information about the cyclonic storm.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s Disaster Management Centre has lifted an evacuation order as the cyclone heading towards the island changed this morning and is now moving northward towards India.
Thousands of people living within 500 metres from the coast were asked to move inland yesterday. With the lifting of the alert, people have started moving back into the low lying villages.
Meanwhile widespread torrential rains continue in various parts of the island, affecting normal life and causing damage to property and livelihood.
Residents in the northern and eastern coastal belts have been cautioned and fishermen and naval community have been advised to refrain from maritime activities in the seas
