Hyderabad

The coastal administration has been put on high alert as Andhra Pradesh is bracing up for cyclone Michaung, set to make landfall near Bapatla in Guntur district on Tuesday afternoon.

The cyclone is expected to hit the coastline at a speed of 90-110 kmph, an official of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. The weather system is expected to persist until December 7 and thereafter become a deep depression.

A red alert has been issued in West Godavari and Dr Ambedkar Konaseema districts of North Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Nellore, Prakasam, Krishna, Bapatla, and Guntur in South Coastal region, and Tirupati, Chittoor, Annammayya and YSR Kadapa districts in the Rayalaseema region.

Chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy held a meeting on Monday with the collectors of eight coastal districts to review cyclone preparedness. Special funds have been allocated to the collectors of the vulnerable districts to evacuate people from low-lying areas and the path of the cyclone and provide food, dry ration at relief camps.

Bapatla district collector P Ranjit Basha said the primary focus was on preventing the loss of lives and livestock.

The chief minister told the collectors that priority should be given to safeguarding crops, especially the freshly harvested paddy lying at procurement centres, a press release from the chief minister’s office said.

The state government procured 97,000 tonne paddy on Sunday while 650,000 tonne has been moved to safe storage locations.

As many as 181 relief camps have been set up. Five NDRF and five SDRF teams have been deployed in the eight districts. Each family sheltered at relief camps would be given ₹2,500 while returning home and individuals would be given ₹1,000 to compensate for loss of livelihood. The families would also be given 25 kg of rice, pulses, palm oil, onions, and potatoes.

“Besides restoring power lines and transportation facilities in affected areas, steps should be taken to ensure proper sanitation in and around the relief camps,” the chief minister told the officials.

The IMD has warned that North Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam, and South Coastal Andhra Pradesh will experience heavy rains over the next two days.

School education commissioner S Suresh Kumar asked the authorities of educational institutions to declare holidays based on the storm’s severity.

The impact of the cyclonic storm was seen in Tirupati and Nellore districts on Sunday as Doravarisatram in Tirupati and rural mandals in Nellore recorded the highest rainfall of 11 cm in the last 24 hours. Kota and Sullurpeta mandals in Tirupati district reported 10 cm rainfall.