Cyclone Michaung to make landfall near Andhra’s Bapatla at noon, 8 dead in Chennai

Cyclone Michaung, which is hovering over the Bay of Bengal, is due to make landfall near Bapatla on the Andhra Pradesh coast at about noon, according to the IMD. The incoming tropical storm caused rain mayhem in Chennai over the weekend, in which at least eight people have died. A storm surge, or tidal wave, of 1-1.5 metres is expected to inundate the low-lying areas of south coastal Andhra Pradesh and the peak storm surge will be over the Bapatla and Krishna districts. The cyclone is expected to make landfall as a severe cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 90-100 km per hour, gusting to 110 km per hour. The Andhra Pradesh government has issued an alert for eight districts – Tirupati, Nellore, Prakasam, Bapatla, Krishna, West Godavari, Konaseema and Kakinada. In Puducherry, Section 144 has been imposed in the coastal areas, restricting movement there, until 6 pm. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has directed the officials to treat the storm as a major challenge to avoid loss of life and property as the winds are expected to blow gales reaching speeds of up to 110 kilometres per hour. Reddy said that special officers have been appointed for all cyclone-affected districts, besides releasing Rs 2 crore each for rescue and relief work. People from low-lying areas have been evacuated and over 300 relief camps have been set up to accommodate them. Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to the chief ministers of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry on Monday and assured them of all necessary help from the Centre. The minister said adequate deployment of National Disaster Response Force personnel has already been made and additional teams are ready for further assistance. Director General of the India Meteorological Department, Mrutyunjay Mohapatra warned that cities and towns along coastal Andhra Pradesh will see extremely heavy, and even exceptionally heavy (30-40 cm), rainfall. A severe cyclonic storm has the potential to cause uprooting of small and medium trees, large-scale damage to hutments and mud houses, and partial damage to telephone and electric poles. The weather office said that Tamil Nadu and Puducherry are expected to experience light to moderate rainfall in most places on Tuesday. Rain has stopped in Chennai, but most parts of the city remains submerged, with heavy inundation in low-lying areas. The Chennai airport will remain closed till 9 am today. Schools, colleges, and government offices remain shut and the government has appealed to private companies to let employees work from home. Videos shows flights grounded as rainwater entered the airport runway, prompting authorities to order its closure till 11 pm tonight. The Odisha government has also deployed rescue teams in the southern districts as a precautionary measure. All the coastal and southern district collectors have been out on alert and fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea.