Ongole: The eye of Severe Cyclonic Storm Murasu crossed the south Andhra Pradesh coast between 3.30 am and 5.30 am on Tuesday, coming ashore between Nellore and Narasapur, close to Ongole, the India Meteorological Department said. Winds at landfall were 100-110 kmph, gusting to 120 kmph.
By 3 pm the storm had still not lost its strength. IMD readings showed gales of 95-105 kmph along the coast, above the 80-90 kmph the agency had forecast for noon. It is now expected to weaken into a cyclonic storm later in the day and into a deep depression by midnight.
No deaths or injuries have been reported, said Prakhar Jain, managing director of the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority. Some trees and electricity poles were uprooted. Energy department officials told Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu at a 3.30 am review with district collectors that no poles had fallen and power supply was unaffected anywhere.
The rain is the bigger problem. Bapatla district has recorded more than 150 mm. Naguluppalapadu in Prakasam district logged 198 mm in the 24 hours to 6 am. IMD issued flash flood alerts for Bapatla, Guntur, Krishna, Eluru, Palnadu and Prakasam, with a storm surge of 1.0-1.5 m above astronomical tide likely to inundate low-lying areas.
Naidu told collectors to keep people off the roads and aim for zero casualties. Evacuations began on Monday, with authorities planning to move about 30,000 people to safety. Nellore collector Himanshu Shukla reported seven fallen trees cleared and Prakasam collector P. Raja Babu five. Bapatla cleared two, in a district taking heavy rain in Repalle, Chirala and Vetapalem.
The cyclone also blew away tents at the municipal poll counting centre at Krishna University. The district administration arranged special buses for staff, and workers began repairs to keep counting on track.
Murasu is the second storm to hit this coast in a week.