Bhubaneswar: Over 2,000 pregnant women were safely sheltered in maternity homes across the state amid the cyclone, Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Women and Child Development, Pravati Parida, stated.
She announced that all mothers who gave birth during the shelter and their newborns are healthy and will remain under observation for another day.
"All mothers who delivered during the period and their newborns are reported healthy and will remain under observation for one more day. Under the direct supervision of the district administration, the healthy mothers and babies will be safely sent back to their homes," she further told reporters.
Cyclone Montha, which made landfall on Tuesday night, has crossed the Andhra Pradesh and Yanan coasts between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam, to the south of Kakinada, the India Meteorological Department said. It turned into a severe cyclonic storm.
Meanwhile, Cyclone Montha crossed the coast near Narasapuram, between Machilipatnam and Kakinada, at around midnight between 11:32 PM and 12:30 AM, and has since moved northwestward, said Dr Karuna Sagar, a scientist at the Meteorological Department in Amaravati. The IMD scientist also mentioned that it will continue moving north-northwestward and enter Telangana.
"The severe cyclonic storm over central Bengal moved west-northwestwards and it crossed yesterday over the Andhra Pradesh coast, especially south of Kakinada, near Narsapur. So it crossed around midnight, 11.30 to 12.30, and further it moved northwestwards and it weakened into a cyclonic storm by 2.30 a.m. today. So it will continue towards moving north-northwestwards, and it will enter the Telangana region also, we are expecting like that," Sagar told ANI.
In addition to Telangana, Andhra Pradesh is also experiencing the impact of Cyclone Montha, with water overflowing onto the road connecting Bapatla to Suryalanka, disrupting traffic towards Suryalanka Beach. Bapatla RDO Gloria, MRO Saleema, and Deputy MPDO are currently inspecting the situation.
Cyclones are caused by atmospheric disturbances around a low-pressure area, characterised by swift, often destructive air circulation. Cyclones are usually accompanied by violent storms and bad weather. The air circulates inward in an anticlockwise direction in the Northern hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern hemisphere.
(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
