New Delhi: Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party chief JP Nadda on Monday directed party units in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Andaman and Nicobar, to assist in rescue and relief operations as Cyclone Montha nears Kakinada, the party said in a statement.
Nadda said BJP workers in the affected areas should coordinate with the local administration, distribute relief materials and medical aid, and help spread awareness about cleanliness.
He also directed that party workers be mobilised at every booth level to ensure the safety, rescue, and essential support of people in cyclone-affected regions.
Meanwhile, as Severe Cyclonic Storm Montha approaches the Andhra Pradesh coast near Kakinada, the state government has placed its administration on high alert. The system was expected to make landfall with winds of 90-110 kmph and bring heavy to extremely heavy rainfall across multiple districts.
Meanwhile, Andhra Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu reviewed the developing situation from the Real Time Governance Centre (RTGS) at the Secretariat on Monday and spoke with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who assured full support from the Union Government, according to a release.
The Chief Minister instructed authorities to monitor the cyclone's movement hour by hour and to take zero-risk measures, especially in coastal and low-lying areas. The CM has also appealed to citizens to stay indoors and remain vigilant until all-clear instructions are issued.
Minister for Disaster Management and RTGS Nara Lokesh is coordinating inter-departmental response, communication systems, and district-level readiness. The Minister has directed all municipal bodies and district administrations to operate 24x7 control rooms, ensure uninterrupted communication, and issue alerts through RTGS, APSDMA and local networks.
Vulnerable populations including pregnant women, elderly and coastal belt residents are being shifted to safer locations, with 260 relief centres in Kakinada and 140 in Nellore stocked with food, milk and water for 2-3 days; 364 schools have been readied as shelters and over 14,000 schools declared precautionary holidays in affected areas, while all beaches have been closed and fishermen prohibited from venturing into the sea, along with red alerts issued for Kakinada, Konaseema, West Godavari, Krishna, Bapatla, Prakasam and Nellore districts.
For rescue and rapid response, 11 NDRF and 12 SDRF teams have been positioned with Fire Services, swimmers, OBM boats, life jackets and emergency equipment deployed across coastal zones, and the 108/104 ambulance network and medical camps have been activated in all cyclone shelters.
Cyclone Montha is likely to intensify into a 'Severe Cyclonic Storm' (SCS) and cross the Andhra Pradesh coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam during the evening and night of October 28, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Monday.
The cyclone is likely to move north-northwestwards and intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by the morning of October 28. Continuing to move further north-northwestwards, it is very likely to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam around Kakinada during the evening/night of October 28 as a severe cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 90-100 kmph gusting to 110 kmph, IMD said in a statement.
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