Severe cyclonic storm Murasu to make landfall in Andhra Pradesh tonight
Three NDRF teams have been deployed to Andhra Pradesh as the storm approaches the coast between Nellore and Narasapur.
Severe cyclonic storm Murasu is expected to make landfall on the Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Narasapur during the intervening night of November 2 and the early morning of November 3, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The storm is predicted to cross the south Andhra coast near Ongole between 11.30 pm on Monday and 4 am on Tuesday, with wind speeds of 100-110 kmph gusting to 120 kmph, BusinessLine reported.
Three National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams comprising 90 personnel from the 4th Battalion near Arakkonam have been deployed to assist with rescue and relief operations in Nellore, Prakasam, and Markapuram. The Tamil Nadu government has also sent 500 electricity department personnel in 25 teams to help restore power in Andhra Pradesh following a request from Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, according to BusinessLine.
In Chennai, authorities have declared a holiday for schools as the IMD issued an orange alert. The city has experienced rainfall since Sunday night, with Madhavaram recording 11cm of rain in the last 24 hours and two subways becoming flooded, Bhaskar English reported.
The Odisha government has expedited the evacuation of people from vulnerable areas as heavy rain has fallen in the Puri district. In Andhra Pradesh, 10 flights have been cancelled at Vijayawada Airport, and officials have evacuated around 2,000 people with plans to move nearly 30,000 people, according to Reuters via BusinessLine.