Cyclone Montha hits normal life across AP

Normal life was thrown out of gear across all the 23 districts in Andhra Pradesh as heavy to very heavy rain accompanied by gales lashed during the past 14 hours. With the storm turning into a severe cyclonic storm, a red alert has been sounded in the State.

The government, which has been reviewing arrangements periodically after putting NDRF and the defence forces as a standby to come to the rescue of people in the affected areas, directed the officials to ensure zero casualties. The Indian Meteorological Department predicted heavy to very heavy rains in the coastal areas. As a precautionary measure, all the flights to and from Visakhapatnam to various destinations were suspended on Tuesdays. Educational institutes remained closed for the second consecutive day on the instructions of the government. IMD forecast gusty winds to reach 90 to 110 kmph at the time of making the landfall. People were advised not to travel except in emergency cases. A Railway spokesman said several trains originating from Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad were either cancelled, short-terminated or diverted as a precautionary measure.

Visakhapatnam International Airport Director N. Purushottam said two Air India Express flights were cancelled on Monday and an IndiGo flight from Delhi to Visakhapatnam was diverted to Bhubaneswar. With the cyclone expected to cause very heavy rains and gales, the authorities withdrew 32 flights being operated out of Visakhapatnam Airport. International flights were also withdrawn. Except two from Air India Express, all other 30 flights were operated normally on Monday, Purushottam clarified.

Several heavy vehicles were detained on the highway to prevent any casualties at the time of crossing of the cyclonic storm. Operations at various ports were disrupted due to intermittent battering of rain in the past 48 hours. Cargo operations at various ports were also affected to some extent.