Vardah cyclone: Heavy rains lashes Nellore, Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh

Heavy rains were lashing parts of Nellore and Chittoor districts bordering Tamil Nadu even as Andhra Pradesh escaped from any major impact of Vardah cyclone, which has made its landfall near Chennai city on Monday afternoon.

Roadside trees fell in Srikalahasti and a few other places causing traffic disruptions while the authorities were able to rescue a group of Tamil fishermen, whose boat was stranded on AP coast near Sriharikota.

The administration was put on a high alert after the weather department hinted at the possibility of Vardah moving towards AP coast. The government authorities in Nellore, Chittoor and adjoining Prakasham and Kadapa districts breathed a sigh of relief after the cyclone moved further southwards and hit the coast at Chennai city.

The devastation caused by Hudhud cyclone in the port city of Visakhapatnam and adjoining areas in October 2014 was still fresh in people's minds. It took almost a year for the government to bring the infrastructure back to normal in Vizag. In the light of the past experience, the state government led by chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu did not want to take chances owing to the intensity of Vardah cyclone.

Coastal areas in AP, Tamil Nadu, and Odisha frequently suffer losses and damage due to cyclones. While AP was more or less free from any such eventuality during the periods of high cyclonic activity between October and December since last year, Chennai city had to face the rains-related devastation for the second consecutive time in a December month.

Meanwhile, the authorities in AP had identified more than 250 low lying areas in Nellore district to evacuate people in case of heavy flooding. Close to 10,000 people were already shifted to safer places, according to the official information.