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Cyclonic storm likely to hit AP on Thursday

The cyclonic storm in the west central Bay of Bengal has moved closer towards the south Andhra coast and lay centred 370 kms from Nellore even as the meteorological officials forecast that the storm would cross between Nellore and Machilipatnam towns latest by Thursday afternoon.

State Relief Commissioner D C Rosaiah said in a statement in Hyderabad on Wednesday afternoon that the district collectors of four south coastal districts -- Nellore, Prakasam, Guntur and Krishna -- are keeping a close watch on the movement of the storm and have taken all precautionary measures for evacuation people from vulnerable areas and for providing relief at short notice.

The relief commissioner, quoting the district collectors from the four districts, said that it has started drizzling in Nellore district from Wednesday morning and the sky is overcast in Prakasam, Guntur and Krishna districts. The district authorities have constituted special teams for evacuation and relief. Adequate food supplies have been stocked in these places.

The Cyclone Warning Centre, Visakhapatnam, in the cyclone warning bulletin issued on Wednesday morning, said that the cyclonic storm threat persisted for all the nine coastal Andhra districts. "The cyclonic storm over west central Bay of Bengal remained centred at 9 am (Indian Standard Time) on October 18 within half a degree of latitude 14 degrees north and longitude 84 degrees east, about 370 kms east of Nellore," the bulletin said.

"The cyclonic storm is likely to intensify further and move in a west north westerly direction and cross the south Andhra coast between Nellore and Machilipatnam by the afternoon of October 19," the bulletin added.

Under the impact, rainfall is likely to occur at many places with heavy to very heavy falls in the coastal districts during the next 48 hours. Gale winds with speeds reaching 90 to 100 kms per hour-- uprooting trees, causing damage to houses and disruption of communication -- are likely in Nellore, Prakasam, Guntur and Krishna districts. Squally winds with speeds reaching 60 to 70 kms per hour are likely along and off the coastal areas of East and West Godavari and Visakhapatnam districts.

Since the sea is very rough, the meteorological officials have hoisted danger signals at Vodarevu, Nizampatnam, Machilipatnam, Krishnapatnam, Kakinada, Visakhapatnam and Bheemunipatnam ports. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea.

The district collectors have been directed to move people in identified low-lying areas to cyclone shelters and safe buildings wherever available. The relief commissioner has asked the district collectors to closely monitor the storm and open control rooms to inform people about the emerging situation from time to time.

The district authorities have also been advised to regulate the movement of traffic on state and national highways in consultation with the AP State Road Transport Corporation and South Central Railway officials. Principal Secretary (Revenue) Dr A V S Reddy reviewed the latest situation with district collectors over telephone from Hyderabad. Revenue Minister P Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Chief Secretary P V Rao have also reviewed the situation with senior officials at the Secretariat on Wednesday noon.

EARLIER REPORT
AP braces for cyclonic storm

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