Cyclone 'Phethai': Very heavy rainfall in coastal Andhra Pradesh crippled daily life
Cyclone 'Phethai' made landfall in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh today, a little after 12.30 pm. There was very heavy rainfall in the coastal districts of the state, keeping people mostly indoors. The state government said that the cyclone had weakened before making landfall near Katrenikona. Schools and colleges were closed as a precautionary measure in the coastal districts today. The state home minister is personally monitoring the situation.
Here are the top 10 points about Cyclone 'Phethai'
In a meeting with Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, officials said crops over 14,000 hectares have been damaged and some livestock have died, reported news agency ANI. Altogether, 26,000 metric tonnes of agricultural production has been damaged.
Highest rainfall of 160 mm was recorded in Tallarevu. Across the state, 379 electrical poles have been damaged, of which, 146 have been restored so far, reported ANI.
Cyclone 'Phethai' made landfall at 80-100 kilometre per hour in East Godavari district.
Life was crippled in East Godavari, Guntur, Krishna, Vizianagram, Visakhapatnam and Vijaywada due to very heavy rain and high winds.Andhra Pradesh disaster commissioner Prasanna Venkatesh said there has been no casualty.
State home minister N Chinna Rajappa is personally monitoring the situation. Chief Minister, N Chandrababu Naidu may visit the cyclone-hit areas in the evening, say reports.
National and state disaster relief teams and over 10,000 officials were put on alert across the districts in the path of the cyclone and adjoining areas.
Over 22 trains were cancelled and air traffic to Visakhapatnam was hampered; some flights were diverted to Hyderabad. Schools and colleges were closed as a precautionary measure.
District authorities have asked people living in low-lying areas to move to relief centres.
The agriculture department has asked farmers to cover their harvested crops with tarpaulin for minimum damage.
'Phethai' is the third cyclone to hit Andhra Pradesh in three months. Earlier the state was hit by 'Titli' and 'Gaja'.
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