At least one person died and two people suffered grievous injuries as Cyclone Montha roared ashore on the eastern coast with winds topping 100km an hour
Tuesday night. The storm slammed into Andhra Pradesh between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam near Kakinada at 7 pm with sheets of rain that ripped through towns, snapped power lines, and sent waves surging 10ft high. The impact was also felt in neighbouring Odisha, where normal life was affected in 15 districts. The severe cyclonic storm is likely to maintain the intensity for a period of six hours after its landfall over interior Andhra Pradesh and the adjoining areas including south Odisha, the Meteorological Department said on Tuesday. The Met Department forecast very likely light to moderate rainfall at most places in Andhra Pradesh and Yanam and heavy to very rainfall at a few places till October 29. Similarly, it forecast extremely heavy rainfall of greater than 20 cm at isolated places during the same period. "The severe cyclonic storm Montha is likely to maintain the intensity of a cyclonic storm for a period of six hours after the landfall over interior Andhra Pradesh and adjoining areas of south Odisha, south Chhattisgarh and Telangana," a Met Department press release said. For October 30, it forecast light to moderate rainfall at many places with heavy rainfall at isolated places over north coastal Andhra Pradesh. The Meteorological Department in its bulletin issued at 10:50 pm on Tuesday said Montha's landfall, which began around 7:30 pm on Tuesday, will continue for another two to three hours. A Met Department official told PTI that the radius of the weather system alone stretches up to 300 km in length, indicating the time it would take for the entire severe cyclonic storm to cross the southern state’s coast. Meanwhile, the weather system over westcentral Bay of Bengal moved northwestwards with a speed of 15 kmph in the past six hours and lay centred at 10:30 pm on Tuesday over the same region, close to Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts. It is located about 100 km south to southwest of Kakinada, 50 km east of Machilipatnam, 480 km southwest of Gopalpur (Odisha) and 240 km southwest of Visakhapatnam. "It is likely to move northwestwards and cross Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam, south of Kakinada during the next two hours as a severe cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 90-100 kmph and gusting up to 110 kmph," said the Met Department. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu held a teleconference with village and ward secretariat personnel from the Real Time Governance System (RTGS) in the secretariat. The CM said the impact of Montha is being felt in coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema districts also. "We have estimated that the cyclone will cross the coast at midnight," said Naidu in an official press release, adding that heavy winds broke up and uprooted trees. He said this debris is being cleared regularly and exhorted that ward and village secretariat personnel are the representatives of the state government in the villages. The CM called upon them to render services immediately to the victims of the cyclone and apprise officials on local situations. Likewise, he called for the resumption of power in places where it was disrupted. Meanwhile, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw spoke with Naidu and local railway officials. He spoke about the decisions taken for immediate restoration of work post the landfall of Montha, which means a fragrant flower in Thai. "Thank you Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for your concern and support on cyclone Montha. The Union and State Governments stand prepared together to mitigate the impact of the cyclone, prioritising the safety of our people," said Naidu in a post on X. Vaishnaw reviewed the preparedness of the Railways in the southern state. War rooms have been activated at Divisional, Zonal and Board levels, ensuring real-time coordination and rapid response, said a press release from the Waltair Railway Division. "Essential resources and manpower have been strategically positioned in Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, and Guntur maintaining round-the-clock vigilance to ensure minimal disruption to train operations and passenger safety," it said. The Railway Minister emphasized that immediate restoration work will begin post landfall to ensure the earliest possible normalization of train services and essential connectivity. Waltair Division of East Coast Railway Zone has cancelled four trains scheduled on Wednesday. Similarly, the Vijayawada Division of the South Central Railway (SCR) Zone has cancelled four trains scheduled on October 29 and diverted three more scheduled on October 28. With inputs from PTI
