The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deployed 14 teams across Andhra Pradesh following the landfall of Cyclone Murasu on Tuesday, with six districts identified as the worst-affected areas, officials said.
No casualties have been reported so far, according to the NDRF.
Speaking to IANS, NDRF Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Mohsen Shahedi said the cyclone’s landfall process began early Tuesday and was completed around 9 a.m., according to the latest information received from the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
“The landfall process of Cyclone Murasu began at around 1:00 a.m. early this morning. According to the latest information we received from the IMD, the landfall process was completed at around 9:00 a.m. Fourteen NDRF teams have been deployed in Andhra Pradesh in view of the cyclone. Three teams have been moved from Tamil Nadu,” Shahedi said.
He said six districts in Andhra Pradesh had been identified as likely to face the most severe impact of the cyclone. NDRF personnel are working in coordination with the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and local authorities to carry out relief and response operations.
The NDRF has also deployed teams in neighbouring states that could experience strong winds and heavy rainfall associated with the cyclone.
“The impact zone of a cyclone is usually extensive due to strong winds and rainfall. Five states were identified as potentially affected by the cyclone. Besides Andhra Pradesh, parts of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and northern Tamil Nadu were also expected to be affected. Accordingly, NDRF teams were deployed across all these states,” Shahedi said.
Providing an update on the cyclone’s movement and intensity, the NDRF official said the weather system was expected to weaken gradually, reducing the likelihood of significant impacts outside Andhra Pradesh.
“According to the information till now, this cyclone will turn into a cyclonic storm soon and then into a deep depression by midnight. So, the impact of this cyclone outside Andhra is expected to be less,” he said.
Shahedi confirmed that no casualties had been reported so far, adding that NDRF teams and state authorities were continuing to monitor the situation and conduct response operations in affected areas.
