Andhra evacuates 30,000 ahead of Murasu
India's southern coast prepares for a second cyclone this week as rescue teams deploy and schools close across four states.
By Luca Harrison ·
Authorities in Andhra Pradesh began moving residents out of low-lying coastal zones on Monday as Cyclone Murasu approached the region. The state is still recovering from Cyclone Arnab, which hit the same coastline the previous Wednesday and killed six people. Prakhar Jain, managing director of the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority, told Reuters that approximately 2,000 people had already been evacuated by Monday. He stated that officials plan to move a total of 30,000 people from vulnerable areas.
The India Meteorological Department projected that Murasu will cross the south Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Narsapur near Ongole. The storm is expected to make landfall between 11:30pm on Monday and 4am on Tuesday. IMD officials described the system as a severe cyclonic storm with wind speeds of 100 to 110 kilometers per hour. Gusts could reach 120 kilometers per hour.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu instructed officials to prepare for infrastructure damage. He noted that 6,000 to 8,000 electrical poles might be destroyed, which he described as a severe threat to power supply. Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan warned on social media that the cyclone would severely impact Nellore, Prakasam, Bapatla, and Krishna districts.
Rescue teams are positioned in advance of the storm's arrival. Jain reported that six National Disaster Response Force teams and seven State Disaster Response Force teams are deployed. Three of the NDRF teams traveled from neighboring Tamil Nadu. In Nellore district, Collector Himanshu Shukla ordered fishermen to stay out of the sea and required officials in coastal areas to remain at their posts.
Schools have closed across Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Odisha. Rain is expected to continue over parts of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh until Wednesday. The storm is forecast to weaken after landfall. Murasu is expected to be less intense than Cyclone Arnab, which destroyed dozens of homes and crops last week.
