Nellore, Prakasam and Chittoor districts are expected to face the brunt of the cyclonic storm.
With the depression over the Bay of Bengal, centred about 850 km southeast of Nellore, intensifying into a severe cyclonic storm on Saturday, Chief Minister K Rosaiah conducted a review meeting at Secretariat with administration in 9 coastal districts, and directed them to be on high alert.
Talking to media persons after attending the review meeting, Revenue Minister Dharmana Prasada Rao said the CM has directed the officials to be on high alert to meet any eventuality in the wake of cyclone Jal expected to hit the coastline near Nellore by Sunday night.
Prasada Rao said the government has directed the collectors to request the Army, Navy and Air Force to stand by to meet any eventuality.
The minister said 'Jal' is likely to intensify further and move north-westwards and cross north Tamil Nadu and south Andhra Pradesh coast between Puducherry and Nellore close to Chennai, by Sunday night.
To coordinate with district collectors, the government has appointed special IAS officers for Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam, Nellore, Chittoor, East and West Godavari districts.
The special officers deputed are Karikala Valaven (Prakasam), S S Rawat (Chitoor), Ananta Ramu (Nellore), B R Meena (Krishna), B Venkatesham (Guntur), M subrahmanyam (East Godavari) and Lav Agarwal (West Godavari).
The government has also declared holidays for schools in these district, to use them as relief camps.
The government has deployed boats and steamers, and RTC buses, for carrying relief material to cyclone-affected places.
Prasada Rao said that Nellore, Prakasam and Chittoor districts are expected to face the brunt of the cyclonic storm. Nellore district is likely to receive 25 cm of rain as a result of the cyclone.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) battalions at Arakkonam, Tamilnadu, has been requisitioned, and sent to Nellore District.
According to the minister, the following mandals have been affected by the cyclone: Kavali, Bogolu, Vidavaluru, Muthukuru, Thotapalli, Guduru, Chilakuru, Kota, Vakadu, Indukurupet and Tada in Nellore district; Chirala, Vetapalem, Chinaganjam., Nagulapadu, Ongole, Kothapatnam, Tanguturu, Singarayakonda, Vulavapadu and Utlooru in Prakasam district; Bapatla , Karlepalem, Nizampatnam, Itlavani Palem, Repalle in Guntur district; and Bantumilli, Pedana, Machilipatnam, Koduru, Nagayalanka in Krishna district.
MET officials have hoisted warning signal No. III at Machilipatnam, Krishnapatnam, Nizampatnam and Nellore ports, and No. II at Kakinada, Visakhapatnam and Gangavaram ports, and have advised fishermen not to venture into the sea.
Meanwhile, the IMD has forecasted that most places in north coastal Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and south coastal Andhra Pradesh would receive heavy to very heavy rainfall till Sunday, and that gales with speed reaching 60-70 kmph, gusting to 80 kmph would prevail in these areas from Saturday evening.
It may increase up to 120-130 kmph gusting to 140 kmph at the time of landfall, the forecast said.
Low-lying areas in Nellore and Prakasam districts might be inundated.
Control rooms are in operation in all the coastal districts, and in Chittoor, and the contact numbers are as follows:
Chittoor: 08572–240-500
Nellore: 0861–2331-263 ; 2331-477, 1090
Prakasam: 08592–281-400 ; 94910-44716
Guntur: 0863-2325-422, 1077
Krishna: 08672–252-847
West Godavari: 08812–230-617; 1077
East Godavari: 0884–2365-424; 1077
Disaster Management Office, Hyderabad: 040 – 2345-6005; 1070; 2345-1043
Courtesy: INN