AP braces to face Hudhud cyclone

State govt initiating steps to evacuate over 200,000 people from 470 villages to rehabilitation centres

In the wake of the Hudhud cyclone warning, the Andhra Pradesh government is initiating steps to evacuate over 200,000 people from 470 villages to rehabilitation centres in coastal districts of East Godavari, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam.

In Srikakulam district alone, about 237 villages are likely to be affected due Hudhud, and hence the district officials made elaborate arrangements to shift 100,000 people to relief camps in the district.

The state government has appointed Aravind Kumar as a special officer to monitor the rescue and rehabilitation works in the four districts. The government has identified more than 200 relief camps to provide shelter for the evacuated people, and the district administrations are initiating steps to provide food, water and medical facilities in these relief camps.

“Depending on the weather conditions tomorrow, we will make arrangements to shift the villagers to rehabilitation camps. We are taking the help of the police department to shift the villagers to camps forcefully, if necessary, to avoid any human loss,” revenue officials told Business Standard.  

A total of eight teams (each team consisting of 45 members) of National Disaster Response Force today arrived at these four districts and four more teams are expected tomorrow. Navy, Indian Coast Guards and Army personnel are stationed in the four coastal districts, and boats and helicopters have already been pressed into service to take up rescue operations.

Hudhud, centered at about 500 kilometre southeast of Visakhapatnam, is expected to landfall between Visakhapatnam and Bheemili area, according to the cyclone warning centre. “Port operations are normal in Visakhapatnam, Gangavaram and Kakinada ports today. If the cyclone closes in,  we will stop operations from tomorrow evening,” said Vizag port sources.

SCR  makes elaborate arrangements

Meanwhile, South Central Railway (SCR) has directed its officials to be on high alert and initiate measures to face any situation arising out of the Hudhud cyclone, which is expected to hit north coastal Andhra Pradesh in the next three days.

SCR general manager, PK Srivastava, convened a high-level meeting on Friday in this regard and directed the officials to take various measures, including opening emergency control rooms in Secunderabad and Vijayawada, patrolling of the railway track situated in the coastal region and putting watchmen on guard at identified vulnerable locations like bridges.

According to an SCR press release, trains loaded with sand, boulders, cement bags and quarry dust will be kept ready at various locations on Vijayawada and adjoining divisions for immediate mobilisation, if necessary. Power cars, diesel generators, tower cars and accident relief trains, besides medical teams will be kept ready to undertake relief and restoration activities.

All the catering stall contractors and authorised vendors at stations on the Vijayawada-Visakhapatnam section and pantry car managers of trains scheduled to run on this section have been instructed to keep adequate stocks of food items and water to take care of the needs of passengers in case of trains were regulated or diverted.

SCR stated that there was a likelihood of change in the pattern of train services in view of the impending cyclonic. Hence, passengers are requested to plan their rail journeys keeping in view these and check from the railway authorities about the actual position of the running of the trains before undertaking their journey.

SCR has cancelled the operation of various trains and diverted routes of a couple of trains on Saturday in view of the cyclone. The trains cancelled included Tirupati-Puri express, Secunderabad-Bhubaneshwar Visakha express, Secunderabad-Visakhapatnam Duronto express, Secunderabad-Visakhapatnam Garibrath express and Tirupati-Visakhapatnam Tirumala express. The Secubderabad-Howrah Falaknuma and HS Nanded-Sambalpur express trains would be diverted via Ballarshah and Nagpur.