Cyclone Montha intensified into a severe cyclonic storm over the Bay of Bengal on Monday. Andhra Pradesh and Odisha are on high alert, accelerating evacuations and preparing for possible landslides near Kakinada tonight. Coming with winds of up to 110 kilometers per hour, the storm has already caused heavy rains and strong winds in the coastal region.According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Cyclone Montha was centered about 190 km south-southeast of Machilipatnam and 340 km south of Visakhapatnam on Monday morning. The storm is expected to cross the coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam by today evening or night.
‘Montha’ turns into severe cyclonic storm
India Meteorological Department (IMD) said eight districts of southern Odisha received rainfall as Cyclone ‘Montha’ in the Bay of Bengal intensified into a severe cyclonic storm on Tuesday morning. In view of the imminent situation, the Odisha government has evacuated people from low-lying areas and landslide-prone hilly areas in eight districts of Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati, Ganjam, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi and Kandhamal and deployed 140 rescue teams (5,000) of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Odisha Disaster Response Force (ODRAF) and fire services. More than 100 personnel) have been deployed.
Rain in eight districts of southern Odisha
The administration has already announced closure of schools and Anganwadi centers in nine districts till October 30, while the East Coast Railway has announced cancellation, diversion and temporary halt of some trains running in the Waltair region and its adjoining routes. Holidays of government employees have also been canceled till October 30. Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) D.K. Singh said that the administration has sealed all the beaches to prevent tourists and local people from visiting the beaches.
Over 1,400 housed in cyclone shelters opened in eight districts
People evacuated from sensitive places have been kept in more than 1,400 cyclone shelters opened in eight districts, where food and other arrangements have been made, officials said. He said that the pregnant women have been shifted to nearby hospitals. The state government has advised fishermen not to venture into the Bay of Bengal off the Odisha coast till October 29. An official said that Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi may review the situation today. “Cyclonic storm ‘Montha’ over westcentral Bay of Bengal moved north-northwestwards at a speed of 15 kmph during the last six hours and intensified into a severe cyclonic storm,” the IMD said in its latest bulletin.
IMD issues ‘red alert’
It lay centered about 190 km south-southeast of Machilipatnam (Andhra Pradesh), 270 km south-southeast of Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh), 340 km south-southwest of Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), 550 km south-southwest of Gopalpur (Odisha) at 5.30 am.” in Thai ‘Montha’ means fragrant flower or beautiful flower. The IMD has issued a ‘Red Alert’ (take action) for Tuesday as it has predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall (seven to 20 cm) at isolated places and extremely heavy rainfall (more than 20 cm) at a few places over Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati and Ganjam districts.
Similarly, ‘Orange Alert’ (be prepared to take action) of heavy to very heavy rainfall (7 to 20 cm) was also issued for Nabarangpur, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Nayagarh, Nuapada, Bolangir, Sonepur, Boudh, Khurda, Puri and Bargarh districts. ‘Yellow alert’ (be careful) of heavy rainfall (7 to 11 cm) has been issued in Angul, Dhenkanal, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Jajpur, Keonjhar, Bhadrak, Balasore, Mayurbhanj, Sambalpur, Deogarh, Jharsuguda and Sundergarh districts. The weather department uses four colors to issue weather alerts in the country. These colors and their messages are… Green (no action required), Yellow (keep an eye and monitor), Orange (be prepared) and Red (action/assistance required).
Andhra Pradesh
The outskirts of the storm have reached several coastal districts, disrupting normal life in Chittoor, Tirupati and Kakinada.Nagari constituency of Chittoor district has been receiving moderate to heavy rains for the last four days. Flood waters from the Kushasthali river cut off major roads, forcing authorities to halt traffic between Nagari city and rural areas like Thiruttani and Pallipattu. Police have restricted access to the river banks amid dangerous currents, diverting traffic to alternative routes, news agency PTI reported.
Taking precautionary measures, officials released 1,000 cusecs of water from Krishnapuram reservoir while the local administration remained on high alert.
In Kakinada district, strong winds battered the coast, and rough seas were reported at Uppada. The waves are moving inwards, increasing coastal erosion and spreading panic among fishermen. Police evacuated families from Uppada, Subbampet, Mayapatnam and Suradapet to safer places as sea water moved inland.
The top Tirupati official said the five coastal divisions spread across the 75-km coastline are likely to face heavy rain and strong winds. Disaster management teams are deployed at full capacity.
Odisha
Although Cyclone Montha will hit Andhra Pradesh, Odisha is bracing for its widespread impact. The state government has issued a red alert in eight southern districts – Malkangiri, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Raigarh, Gajapati, Ganjam, Kalahandi and Kandhamal – due to the possibility of heavy rain and strong winds from Tuesday.
“Our target is to have zero casualties,” Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said while monitoring the evacuation operation.
The government has opened 1,445 cyclone shelters and prepared 140 rescue teams from NDRF, ODRAF and fire services. Special attention has been paid to the hilly areas of Gajapati district, where there is a possibility of landslides.
Pujari said that 32,000 people from low-lying areas are being evacuated to safer places as the impact of the cyclone is expected to intensify in the next 48 hours.
west bengal
The Indian Meteorological Department has warned of heavy rain and thundershowers in southern West Bengal, especially in Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, South 24 Parganas and East and West Medinipur from Tuesday. Wind speed can reach 80-90 km per hour, making going into the sea prohibited.
The coastal police in South 24 Parganas have started making public announcements, urging trawlers to return by Monday evening. The district administration has opened control rooms and stored relief material.
Meanwhile, rainfall is likely to increase over North Bengal from October 29 as the cyclone moves inwards. The state agriculture department has advised farmers to complete paddy harvesting to reduce crop loss.
Tamil Nadu
In the south, Tamil Nadu’s northern districts of Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kanchipuram and Ranipet were drenched in heavy rain on Monday. The Regional Meteorological Center said that Montha is located about 480 km east of Chennai in the Bay of Bengal.
Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin visited flood-affected areas and reviewed storm water drainage efforts.
He said, “IMD has told us that there will not be much rain in the next 10 days. Even if it happens, our government is prepared.”
Flights affected, trains canceled
Air travel was affected due to the cyclone. Six flights between Visakhapatnam and Chennai were canceled due to bad weather.
IndiGo on its official
Train services were also affected, with the Railways canceling many services and stopping them for some time. Howrah-Jagdalpur Samleshwari Express will now be terminated at Raigarh only, while Hirakhand Express and Intercity Express will run only between Raigarh and Bhubaneswar or Rourkela, skipping the Jagdalpur section.