Hyderabad: Andhra Pra-desh is preparing to face any eventuality as cyclonic storm Lehar in the Bay of Bengal is heading to hit its coast tomorrow.
The “very severe” cyclonic storm is centred 920km east-southeast of Machillipatnam, and 850km from Kakinada in the state. “The system would intensify further and move west-northwestwards and cross Andhra Pradesh coast between Machillipatnam and Kalingapatnam near Kakinada around November 28 noon,” said the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD).
The IMD has warned that a storm surge of two to three metres would inundate low-lying areas of west and east Godavari, Vishakhapatnam and Krishna districts of Andhra Pradesh and Yanam district of Puducherry at the time of landfall. Yanam is under the administrative control of Puducherry but geographically a part of East Godavari district.
The government has alerted all nine coastal districts and directed district officials to take precautionary measures including evacuation of people from low-lying areas. The government has sought four helicopters and 15 additional teams of National Disaster Response Force from the central government to meet any contingency.
The army, the navy and the Coast Guard have been alerted. Authorities have told fishermen not to venture into the sea. Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy reviewed preparedness to tackle the cyclone threat.
Lehar will be the second cyclone to hit Andhra coast. Helen hit the coast near Machilipatnam last week killing six people.
IANS
