Cyclone Montha nears Andhra coast; state on high alert, Army may be deployed

As Cyclone Montha barrels toward the Andhra Pradesh coast, the state government has assured that the Army will be deployed if required to manage the fallout of the landfall. Meanwhile, panic buying and stockpiling by the public have led to a steep rise in the prices of essential commodities.

Several districts have already witnessed incessant rainfall even before the cyclone’s landfall. Traffic will be suspended on roads and national highways in the Krishna and Godavari districts from 9 pm ahead of the expected landfall near Kakinada.

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HRD Minister Nara Lokesh said, “The government’s sole objective is to ensure that there is no loss of life. We will deploy the Army if necessary.”

He added that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is well experienced in handling cyclones, particularly Hudhud and Titli, which had struck North Andhra in the past. Lokesh also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is closely monitoring the situation.

The minister stated that 1,328 villages are likely to face flooding. A total of 1,906 relief centres have been set up, and 3,465 people including pregnant women nearing delivery and senior citizens have been shifted to hospitals.

The state has kept 11 NDRF and 12 SDRF teams on standby and also plans to deploy drones to monitor flooding and other cyclone-related impacts.

The affected districts have already been experiencing heavy rainfall, with Nellore recording the highest. Srikakulam and Anakapalle districts have also received intense rain.

The sea at Kakinada has turned extremely rough with high waves as winds and rain intensified, and sea water has surged onto the Kakinada–Uppada road.

Telangana is also expected to witness heavy downpours, particularly in the southern parts of the state, due to Cyclone Montha. Hyderabad woke up to overcast skies and experienced heavy rainfall, with more expected tonight.