Four killed in heavy rain triggered by cyclone; flood alert for Andhra distts

AWicked cyclonal force that crossed the Odisha coast nigh Gopalpur on fri morning, triggered heavy rains and floods across several districts of north Andhra Pradesh, claiming four lives in three different incidents, officials said.According to the Indian Meteorological Department centre at Visakhapatnam, the cyclonic storm, which crossed between Paradip and Gopalpur, began weakening while moving northwest.“Despite weakening, the cyclone had a severe impact in coastal Andhra. Heavy rains lashed Srikakulam, Parvathipuram Manyam and Vizianagaram districts, prompting authorities to issue a red alert for these regions. Wind speeds of 40–45 kmph were reported along the coast. Fishermen were advised not to venture into the sea,” the IMD said.In the past 24 hours ending Friday morning, 15 locations received more than 50 mm of rainfall. Palasa and Mandasa recorded the highest with 170 mm, followed by Tekkali, Garividi and Pathapatnam with 90 mm each, while Kurupam, Kalingapatnam, Sompeta, Cheepurupalli, Nellimarla and Palakonda registered 70 mm. In Visakhapatnam city, there were heavy winds touching 66 kmph on Thursday night, the officials said.According to the reports reaching the state secretariat in Amaravati, heavy rains in Odisha also swelled rivers flowing into Andhra Pradesh. Water levels rose sharply in the Vamsadhara, Nagavali, Bahuda and Mahendratanaya rivers.This led to the authorities issuing the first danger warning at Gotta Barrage in Hiramandalam. Floodwaters from Vamsadhara were released downstream, while heavy inflows into Nagavali swelled at Narayanapuram anicut in Burja mandal.Mahendratanaya river waters inundated parts of Srikakulam, including Paatapatnam RTC complex and Mahendranagar colony. The district authorities sounded an alert for low-lying areas. A control room was set up at the district collectorate to monitor the situation.Several trees were uprooted due to torrential rains, snapping power lines and disrupting electricity supply in Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts. In many places, roads were blocked after trees collapsed, hampering vehicular traffic.In Parvathipuram Manyam district, Nagavali river overflowed, marooning villages like Kallikota and Madalangi in Komarada mandal. Minister Sandhyarani assured that the government was fully prepared to rescue the marooned, support displaced families and compensate farmers who lost crops.Meanwhile, in Srikakulam, a second danger warning was sounded for villages along the Vamsadhara river as inflows touched 83,258 cusecs. Collector Swapnil Dinkar Pundkar urged residents of low-lying areas to remain vigilant.Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu held a high-level review meeting with district collectors and top officials via video conference from the secretariat in Amaravati. The collectors of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam briefed the CM on the flood situation.Authorities confirmed four deaths so far: one in Kancharapalem (Visakhapatnam), two in Mandasa (Srikakulam) and one in Kurupam (Parvathipuram Manyam).A 52-year-old tea-stall owner B Eshwar Rao was electrocuted to death when high-tension power lines fell on his kiosk at Kancharapalem in Visakhapatnam on Thursday evening.At Mandasa in Srikakulam district – old tribal couple Chinna Budiya and Rupamma (both in their 70s) died late on Thursday night when the wall collapsed on them while they were asleep in their thatched house. At Kurupam in Parvathipuram Manyam district, another unknown person got washed away in flash floods.Expressing condolences, the chief minister announced an ex-gratia of ₹4 lakh to each of the bereaved families.Naidu directed officials to immediately restore roads and power supply in affected areas without delay. He also instructed that flood-damaged crops be enumerated for compensation and reservoirs be filled with excess floodwaters for future use.“Relief operations must be carried out with a humanitarian approach. People in marooned and low-lying areas must not be left neglected,” the chief minister said.