Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Sunday directed officials to remain fully prepared for relief and rescue operations as another cyclone threat loomed over the state, while Tamil Nadu directed district collectors to remain on high alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall over the next three days and Odisha stepped up preparedness in its southern region.
Home to around 26 people, the hilltop Gidipabali village disappeared from the map after huge amount of sludge and debris cascaded down the hills and levelled houses. Meanwhile, the death toll in Odisha due to Cyclone Arnab rose to six on Sunday with the recovery of two more bodies from a landslide-hit village on the border of Ganjam and Kandhamal districts, while search was underway for 10 missing people, officials said.
Odisha disaster management Minister Suresh Pujari said the government was fully prepared to tackle the impending cyclone and assured people not to panic. The state has already sounded a high alert in the southern region, including Ganjam, which was severely hit by Cyclone Arnab, he said, adding orders have been issued to evacuate people from low-lying areas and hilly terrain before Murasu makes landfall.
In Tamil Nadu, the additional chief secretary and commissioner of revenue administration has instructed the district collectors to mobilise all administrative machinery and take adequate preparedness measures. Authorities have also been asked to maintain strict vigilance and immediately report any untoward incident to the State Emergency Operations Centre.
“Another cyclone is approaching Andhra Pradesh and officials must remain fully prepared to undertake relief and rescue operations, as a severe cyclonic storm is expected to cross the coast near Bapatla on the morning of November 3,” Naidu said in a press release.
