A brewing storm in the Bay of Bengal has intensified into Cyclone Montha off India's eastern coast. And authorities have jumped into action to prevent destruction, disaster and loss of life.
Large scale preparations and preventive measures have been ordered across the coastal states, including Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal. Cyclone Montha is expected to make landfall near Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh, about 200 km from Odisha’s Malkangiri. But the timing is uncertain.
Cyclone Montha will bring with it 'heavy to very heavy rain and strong winds' for up to 3 days on India's eastern coast. Both Odisha and Andhra Pradesh have placed their administrative machinery on high alert.
The IMD has issued red and orange alerts for 23 of the 26 districts in Andhra. In Odisha, 5 districts have been issued a red alert.
128 disaster response teams in Odisha evacuated people from vulnerable areas in Odisha on Monday morning. Meanwhile, people living in old and damaged houses in Andhra's Eluru, Krishna, and West Godavari areas were also evacuated.
And thats not all, the Indian Army has also been placed on standby. The army's Disaster Response Columns has been activated ensure rapid deployment and close coordination with the civil administration. The operation and logistics control rooms have also been working round-the-clock.
Many beaches on India's eastern coast have been declared off-limits as Cyclone Montha rushes inwards.
Authorities are using loudspeakers and megaphones to alert fishermen who ventured into the sea, urging them to return to the shore immediately.The administration is closely monitoring the situation to ensure the safe return of all fishing boats, officials said.
All Anganwadi centres and schools will remain closed till October 30, and two ODRAF teams have been deployed in the district.
The IMD said, "At 8.30 am this morning, the system was located about 620 km west of Port Blair in Andaman & Nicobar Islands, 780 km of Chennai in Tamil Nadu, 830 km of Visakhapatnam & Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh and 930 km of Gopalpur in Odisha."
The cyclone will further intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by October 28 morning and is expected to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam, around Kakinada, during the evening/night of October 28 with a maximum sustained wind speed of 90-100 kmph, gusting to 110 kmph.
