Amaravati, Oct 26 Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday directed officials to continuously monitor Cyclone Arnab’s movement, undertake precautionary measures and ensure there was no loss of life or property.
The chief minister reviewed cyclone preparedness with officials and instructed them to alert people according to the likely impact of the weather system and take all necessary steps to minimise damage.
“Officials must continuously track Cyclone Arnab’s movement, take precautionary measures well in advance and ensure that there is no loss of life or property,” Naidu said in an official press release.
The chief minister stressed the need to assess the intensity of rainfall, wind speeds and flood flows caused by the cyclone and take appropriate measures based on the evolving situation.
He also directed officials to analyse information from previous cyclones and issue timely warnings to farmers and the public to help them take necessary precautions.
Naidu instructed district collectors to shift people in vulnerable coastal areas to cyclone shelters as part of precautionary measures.
Officials informed the Chief Minister that Cyclone Arnab was likely to cross the coast near Yanam, between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, on October 28. Moderate to heavy rainfall was expected in several districts from Srikakulam to Nellore from Tuesday afternoon, accompanied by strong winds along the coast.
Heavy to extremely heavy rainfall was likely on October 28 and 29 in the North Coastal Andhra districts, Konaseema, East and West Godavari, Eluru, Krishna, NTR, Guntur, Palnadu, Bapatla, Prakasam and Nellore districts, they said.
Naidu directed officials to keep the Centre informed of the precautionary measures being taken by the state. Officials informed him that arrangements were underway to shift 4,711 identified pregnant women to primary health centres, community health centres and hospitals.
He instructed officials to keep medical teams and ambulances ready in the vulnerable districts and deploy seven National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams and eight State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams across 11 districts. Additional forces should be kept on standby in NTR and Visakhapatnam districts, he said.
The chief minister also directed officials to coordinate with the Marine Police, Navy and Coast Guard for rescue and relief operations. Officials informed him that all fishermen who had ventured into the sea had returned safely, with 30,043 boats reaching harbours.
Fishermen should not venture into the sea until the cyclone weakens and normal conditions return, he said.
The agriculture department was directed to move harvested paddy to safer locations and take measures to protect horticultural crops spread across nearly 1.8 lakh hectares. Naidu also instructed officials to ensure adequate stocks of essential commodities at ration shops and restore electricity supply immediately wherever disruptions occurred.
Officials estimated that inflows into 22 reservoirs could result from the forecast rainfall, with the potential to store up to 12 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) of water. The chief minister said the Tandava, Raiwada, Yeleru, Tammileru, Yerrakalava and Tadipudi reservoirs could reach their full storage capacities. He directed officials to ensure that streams, rivulets and canals remained free of obstructions.
The chief minister further instructed district collectors to take strict action against attempts to spread misinformation about the cyclone through social media and declare holidays for educational institutions wherever necessary, based on the likely impact in their respective areas.
(PTI News)
