Cyclone Michaung (pronounced as Migjaum) began its landfall process near Bapatla in Andhra Pradesh on December 5 afternoon, as a severe cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 90-100 kmph gusting to 110 kmph
Cyclone Michaung (pronounced as Migjaum) began its landfall process near Bapatla in Andhra Pradesh on December 5 (Wednesday) afternoon, as a severe cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 90-100 kmph gusting to 110 kmph. The Andhra Pradesh state government has issued an alert for eight districts -- Tirupati, Nellore, Prakasam, Bapatla, Krishna, West Godavari, Konaseema and Kakinada -- for Tuesday.
At least 12 people were killed in rain-related incidents in and around Chennai as cyclone Michaung wreaked havoc in the city and its suburbs. The Tamil Nadu state government swung into action by initiating relief and rescue operations with various department personnel, including police, fire, and rescue, being deployed in large numbers as a preventive mechanism.
According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), some respite is in store for Tamil Nadu with the North coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry expected to experience light to moderate rainfall in most places and isolated heavy rainfall on Tuesday morning, decreasing thereafter. However, people have been urged to follow guidelines issued by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) for the safeguarding of human life and property during cyclones.
The situation of Cyclone Michaung-hit Chennai in Tamil Nadu has started improved by Tuesday evening as public transport along with communication and electricity services were largely restored.
Tamil Nadu Government Chief Secretary Shiv Das Meena told ANI that nearly 800 buses were functional and Chennai metro services were also running normally.
Meena further said that essential services outlets like petrol pumps were open but several areas were still waterlogged.
Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnav also said in a tweet that suburban train services were restored in Chennai.
Earlier in the evening, the Tamil Nadu government said that 80 per cent of electricity services and 70 per cent of mobile connectivity had been restored by 6 pm.
As part of the relief efforts after the landfall of Cyclone Michaung, two helicopters of the Indian Air Force (IAF) were deployed in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
The two IAF helicopters dropped relief material including food packets and rations for people stranded in the Adyar region of Chennai, according to ANI.
The agency said that IAF aircraft would take more such sorties.
The AIADMK on Tuesday flagged the "inefficiency" of the Tamil Nadu government, alleging that the MK Stalin-led establishment has failed to tackle the impact of Cyclone Michaung.
Reacting to the development, senior AIADMK leader and Rajya Sabha MP M Thambidurai alleged that the DMK government in Tamil Nadu "could not tackle the cyclone properly" and asserted that his party will make all efforts to get relief to the people affected in Chennai.
"The DMK government could not tackle the cyclone properly. It shows the inefficiency of the present government," he told PTI, adding that the AIADMK will raise the issue in Parliament.
"We will make all efforts to get relief for the people of Madras city, affected by the cyclone," Thambidurai said.
While many residents in the rain-affected parts of the city were grappling with poor mobile network connectivity and power cuts, the state government has said that their main focus is to bring back normalcy and that 80 per cent of power supply and 70 per cent of mobile networks have already been restored.
After being pounded by cyclone Michaung the whole of Monday, Chennai witnessed some respite in terms of rains on Tuesday even as the city struggled to cope with large scale water logging, power cuts and disruption in mobile networks.
Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary Shiv Das Meena told reporters in Chennai that there were 42,747 cell phone towers in the city of which 70 per cent were currently operational. The rest of the 30 per cent was not operational due to lack of power, he said.
A total of 29 NDRF teams have been deployed in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Puducherry to undertake relief and rescue operations in the wake of the severe cyclonic storm Michaung.
Fourteen National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been deployed in Tamil Nadu (five in Chennai), 11 in Andhra Pradesh, one in Telangana and three in Puducherry.
"Our focus is on Andhra Pradesh as the cyclone will make landfall there and a number of trees, poles and other infrastructure could be uprooted, leading to blockage of communication and power lines," an officer told PTI.
The NDRF is also prepared to launch rescue and relief operations for the affected people who could be stranded, he said.
The teams, armed with wood and pole cutters along with inflatable boats, are already undertaking route-clearing operations in various parts of Tamil Nadu, where the cyclone wreaked havoc on Tuesday morning, the officer said.
Some additional teams have been kept on standby and they will be moved into the affected areas as and when the requisition is made by the state governments, another NDRF officer said.
The Amaravati Meteorological Centre official reported that the severe cyclonic storm Michaung made landfall near the south Andhra Pradesh coast, close to Bapatla district, between 12:30 pm and 2:30 pm on Tuesday, with maximum gales reaching speeds of 90 – 100 km per hour.
The official further stated that the weather system is anticipated to move northwards and gradually weaken into a cyclonic storm within the next two hours.
According to a press release, the weather system, initially located over the west-central Bay of Bengal and running near the south Andhra Pradesh coast, moved northwards at a speed of 11 km per hour over the past six hours, officially crossing the Andhra Pradesh coast between 12:30 pm and 2:30 pm.
As of 2:30 pm, the system was centered over south coastal Andhra Pradesh, approximately 15 km southwest of Bapatla and 40 km northeast of Ongole.
During the landfall, the eye of the storm was positioned near Bapatla on the south Andhra Pradesh coast, with the forward sector of the weather system entering overland. This landfall phenomenon spanned around three hours.
Opposition leaders urged the Central government to extend all possible assistance to the Tamil Nadu government in addressing the aftermath of cyclone Michaung.
Speaking to PTI, Kodikunnil Suresh, Congress' Mavelikkara MP, emphasized the need for the Centre to offer comprehensive support to Tamil Nadu in dealing with the cyclone's impact.
He also appealed to the BJP-led government to refrain from indulging in politics to "divert" the issue.
“The Central government should give all the assistance for tackling the cyclone issue in Tamil Nadu. Chennai is worst affected,” he said.
“I would appeal to the Centre, especially Home Minister (Amit Shah) to provide all assistance to the state of Tamil Nadu to tackle this cyclone,” he added.
In and around Chennai, twelve individuals lost their lives in different rain-related incidents on Tuesday, as personnel on fishing boats and farm tractors worked tirelessly to rescue stranded individuals.
Officials reported that eleven others who sustained injuries in rain-related incidents were currently receiving treatment in various hospitals.
According to PTI, in Muthialpet locality on the city's outskirts, 54 families were rescued, and a woman who had just given birth was relocated to a safer place from Saligramam in the city.
More than 250 people from low-lying areas found refuge at a school camp in Kotturpuram. Additionally, 22 passengers stranded after their local bus got stuck in rainwater, were transferred to a relief camp set up at the Middle School in Pallavaram.
"It will have no impact on north India. Its impact is on Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Odisha. Besides, it will have an indirect impact on northeastern states, Jharkhand and Bihar, where light rainfall is expected," IMD DG Mrutyunjay Mohapatra told PTI.
As per the latest bulletin of IMD, the cyclonic system is likely to move nearly northwards and cross south Andhra Pradesh coast close to Bapatla during next two hours as a Severe Cyclonic Storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 90-100 kmph gusting to 110 kmph. Landfall process is continuing and is likely to continue for next three hours.
The wind speed will gradually decrease to 75-85 kmph gusting to 95 kmph by evening of December 5 and further gradually decrease becoming 55-65 kmph gusting to 75 kmph by midnight of December 5.
Around 9,454 people have been evacuated from the seven districts of Konaseema, Kakinada, Krishna, Bapatla and Prakasam to safety in 211 relief camps. As part of relief efforts, 10,251 food packets were distributed and 18,068 water packets.
In the event of an emergency, Bapatla district police told people to reach out to helplines 100, 112 and police control room number 8333813228.
Severe cyclonic storm Michaung’s landfall is currently underway with the eye of the cyclone situated near Bapatla in south Andhra Pradesh coast. The total landfall process is expected to complete within three hours. Meanwhile, the state government evacuated 910 people from Konaseema district, Kakinada (523), Krishna (1,814), Bapatla (702), Prakasam (128), Nellore (1,991) and Tirupati (3,386).
The India Meteorological Department in its recent update issued a red alert for Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam for extremely heavy rainfall on December 5. They also cautioned the residents to "Stay safe and take all necessary precautions."
Addressing a press conference at the Chennai Corporation headquarters on Tuesday morning, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin said relief measures are taking place on a war footing.
Stalin said in the nine districts including Chennai that were hit by torrential rains, a total of 61,666 relief camps were set up with about 11 lakh food packets and one lakh milk packets distributed so far.
Updating on the lives lost due to rain-related incidents, Stalin said that so far seven lives were lost which included deaths due to a wall collapse in neighbouring Chengalpattu district.
The Chennai corporation has brought in 5000 workers from other districts to the city for the flood mitigation works. These workers used farm tractors and fishing boats in flooded areas including Periamet and some other north Chennai areas to rescue people and to distribute relief materials.
The Tamil Nadu government has requested an interim Central assistance of Rs 5,000 crore to address the aftermath of incessant rains in Chennai and several other districts.
The objective is to provide relief to the affected people and initiate the reconstruction of damaged infrastructure.
Tiruchi Siva, a leader of the ruling DMK in the state, raised this matter during a zero-hour mention in the Rajya Sabha. He highlighted that the heavy rains, attributed to severe Cyclone Michaung, have led to submergence in Chennai and various other districts.
"Roads have become rivers because of non-stop running waters and rivers have become like seas... all the water bodies are overflowing. Many tanks have been breached," he said.
He said that while the state government is doing everything in its means, the damage to infrastructure is so huge that it cannot be repaired at the earliest. "The state government has requested an interim relief of Rs 5,000 crore."
"I urge the Union government (that) considering the condition of Tamil Nadu and five districts, kindly release Rs 5,000 crore as initial interim relief which would help the State government in their efforts to safeguard the people of Tamil Nadu," he said.
Indigo recently revealed that due to the closure of Chennai airport on December 4, they had to cancel 550 flights. The runway of the airport was flooded after incessant rainfall in the city and nearby districts. As a result of the cancellation of the flights from Chennai, over a thousand flights were impacted across the country yesterday.
Odisha’s southern districts continued to receive light to moderate rainfall on Tuesday in the wake of severe cyclone ‘Michaung’, which is likely to make landfall between Nellore and Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh in a few hours, the India Meteorological Department said.
Rainfall has been recorded in Odisha’s Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Ganjam and Gajapati districts since Monday evening, officials said.
Gajapati received 8.5 mm rainfall, followed by 8.3 mm in Koraput, 3.9 mm in Ganjam, 2.5 mm in Malkangiri and 1.5 mm in Rayagada between 5.30 pm on Monday and 8.30 am on Tuesday, the Met Department said.
IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra had said on Monday that though there will be no major impact on Odisha, heavy rain is likely at some places in the eastern state on Tuesday.
In a recent update from the India Meteorological Department, the severe cyclonic storm Michaung is forecasted to make landfall along the south Andhra coast near Bapatla within the next four hours. The IMD reports a formidable wind speed ranging between 90-100 kmph, urging residents and authorities to remain on high alert.
Authorities have evacuated nearly 900 people to safety who were residing in villages along the southern coast of Andhra Pradesh. Residents are strongly cautioned to avoid going outdoors, given the severe Cyclonic Storm Michaung will hit the Bapatla district within hours.
Bapatla district superintendent of police Vakul Jindal told PTI that people living in thatched houses in the region have been evacuated. He also mentioned that 21 cyclone shelters have been set up.
So far, 10 trees have been uprooted and 12 bridges and culverts are overflowing in the district as an impact of the cyclone's arrival.
Operations at Chennai's airport resumed on Tuesday morning, a day after the airport's runway closed for departure and arrival operations due to adverse weather conditions. Pictures and videos from Monday showed aircrafts grounded with their wheels submerged under water amid heavy rain.
With severe cyclonic storm 'Michaung' set to make landfall soon, all the primary, upper primary, high school and anganwadi centres in Odisha shall remain closed on December 6. Although no major impact is expected on the eastern state, the weather department has predicted heavy rainfall in five southern districts of Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati, and Ganjam.
Even as IMD predicted some respite for Chennai on Tuesday, the city woke up to waterlogged streets and main roads. Residents in some parts of Chennai reported no rain since early hours on Tuesday and mentioned that power services had been restored in those areas. However, train services to and from the city remain suspended.
The IMD has forecasted light to moderate rainfall at most places in Telangana with isolated heavy to extremely heavy rainfall on December 5. Heavy rains are likely to occur in Suryapet, Mahabubabad, Warangal and Hanamkonda.
Isolated places of Hyderabad, Rangareddy, Medchal, Malkajgiri and Nagarkurnool will see thunderstorms accompanied with lightning and gusty winds of 40-50 kmph.
The weather department has also forecasted heavy rainfall in five southern districts of Odisha - Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati, and Ganjam.
As per the latest bulletin of IMD on December, cyclone Michaung over West central Bay of Bengal, off the south Andhra Pradesh coast and adjoining north Tamil Nadu coasts moved north-northwestwards with a speed of seven kmph during past six hours. It lay centred over Westcentral Bay of Bengal off south Andhra Pradesh coast, about 20 km east of Kavali, 50 km north-northeastof Nellore, 200 km north of Chennai, 110 km south-southwest of Bapatla and 170km south-southwest of Machilipatnam -- as of 5:30 am today.
The cyclonic storm will make landfall near Bapatla in Andhra Pradesh on December 5 afternoon.