Amaravati: Cyclone Phethai barrelled through coastal Andhra Pradesh on Monday, triggering heavy rains, uprooting trees along with electric poles, claiming one life, officials said. A boat carrying seven fishermen went missing in the Bay of Bengal off Visakhapatnam, as Phethai crossed the coast in East Godavari district and moved towards Odisha after weakening gradually. Train and air services were also disrupted because of the cyclone.
A man named R. Durga Rao aged 28 was killed when loosened soil hurtled down a hillock following heavy rains in Vijayawada city, according to sources in the state’s Disaster Management Authority. District collector B. Lakshmi Kantham announced a compensation of Rs 50,000 to the deceased’s family immediately.
State HRD minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao apprised chief minister N, Chandrababu Naidu of the situation during a review meeting the latter conducted late in the night at the Real-Time Governance Centre (RTGS) at the state Secretariat. East Godavari district made landfall near Katrenikona in the afternoon, forcing evacuation of 20,000 people, who have been sheltered in relief camps. Howling winds that gusted up to 85-90 kmph in Katrenikona, Tallarevu and Malkipuram in East Godavari disrupted the power supply. No casualties were, however, reported.
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Naidu later told reporters his government could restore normalcy within hours after the cyclone crossed the coast. At the same time, Naidu lashed out at the Centre, saying it remained “totally indifferent” towards the destruction caused by the cyclone. Deputy chief minister (home) N. China Rajappa is camping at Bhairavapalem village in East Godavari district to oversee relief and rescue operations.
The Real-Time Governance Centre said ‘Phethai’ weakened after making landfall. Chief Executive Officer of the RTGS Babu Ahamed said that precautionary steps taken by the authorities had minimised the damage to life and property. He said trees were uprooted in some 20 places and rescue teams had cleared the debris in 15. Spare electric poles were kept ready, he said.
The South Central Railway (SCR) cancelled and rescheduled several trains, while air traffic to and from the port city of Visakhapatnam was hit by turbulent weather conditions. Some flights had to be cancelled or diverted. Over 20 express and passenger trains were cancelled, the SCR’s chief public relations officer M Uma Shankar Kumar said. Educational institutions have been closed in the coastal districts.
Yanam, an enclave of the Union Territory of Puducherry in Andhra Pradesh’s East Godavari district, was pounded by very heavy rains under the influence of the cyclone. Regional administrator D. Subramaneswar Rao said that the heavy rain caused inundation of paddy fields besides disrupting normal life. Puducherry Health and Tourism Minister Malladi Krishna Rao coordinated the relief and rehabilitation work.