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In the wake of Cyclone Murasu intensifying into a severe cyclonic storm over the Bay of Bengal, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deployed 37 teams across five states, with primary focus on coastal Andhra Pradesh, where 13 teams have been stationed to tackle emergencies, officials said.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the cyclone is expected to cross the coast between Nellore and Narsapur around midnight, with wind speeds reaching up to 120 kmph. Speaking to ANI, Mohsen Shahedi, Deputy Inspector General (Ops/PRO), NDRF, said that high-level stakeholder meetings have taken place to coordinate disaster preparedness. "Cyclone Murasu, which has developed in the Bay of Bengal, transformed into a severe cyclonic storm this morning. As per the IMD report, around midnight at 11:30 pm today, it will make landfall between Nellore and Narsapur," Shahedi said. "At the time of landfall, the wind speed is expected to be around 100-110 kmph, gusting up to 120 kmph. Keeping this in mind, a meeting was convened by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) yesterday evening, and today the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) also held a meeting with all stakeholders. We have worked out the deployment plan. A total of 37 NDRF teams across five states are being deployed in the wake of this cyclone, with a special focus on Andhra Pradesh, where 13 teams have been positioned," he added. Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department has sounded a heavy to extremely heavy rainfall alert for several districts of Andhra Pradesh over the next 48 hours. Speaking on the rainfall forecast, Visakhapatnam Meteorological Department Director PLN Murthy warned of widespread downpours across southern and central coastal districts. "Extremely heavy rainfall is most likely to occur over Bapatla, Prakasam, Nellore, Tirupati, and Chittoor districts. Heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely over Krishna, Guntur, Eluru, East Godavari, West Godavari, Palnadu, NTR, Annamayya, and Nandyal districts," Murthy said. Detailing the outlook for the following day, Murthy added: "On Day 2, extremely heavy rainfall is likely over Chittoor, Tirupati, Nellore, Prakasam, Palnadu, and NTR districts. Very heavy rainfall is expected over Annamayya, YSR Kadapa, Kurnool, Nandyal, Bapatla, Guntur, Krishna, Eluru, and Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) districts, while the remaining districts are likely to receive light to moderate showers with isolated heavy spells." (ANI)
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