Cyclone Murasu is moving towards the Andhra Pradesh coast, prompting authorities to deploy many disaster response teams. Schools and colleges in Chennai and Tiruvallur got a holiday on Monday due to heavy rains. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu asked for help from Tamil Nadu to restore power systems.
Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner G.S. Sameeran inspected the situation across the city at the ICCC in Ripon Buildings after rains continuously hit from Sunday night till the next day.
He also checked the Buckingham Canal at the Besant Nagar stagnation in Triplicane.
As the cyclonic storm, Murasu, moves towards the A.P. coast, the State has deployed six National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams and seven State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams in districts likely to be affected by the cyclone.
According to information from the A.P. State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA), the landfall point is likely to be Ongole and in this connection, two teams each have been stationed in the districts of Krishna, Bapatla, Guntur, Nellore and Prakasam, while one team each has been deployed in Markapuram, Palnadu and Tirupati districts. Additional teams are also available for deployment if required.
People can report any cyclone-related problems to officials through the Mana Mitra WhatsApp Governance service at 95523 00009. For emergency assistance and information, they can also contact the Disaster Management Authority’s toll-free numbers 112, 1070 and 18004250101.
Nellore Sravani reports
Chennai District Collector S. Malathi Helen and Tiruvallur District Collector S. Kavitha last night announced a holiday for schools and colleges on Monday.
According to data from the Regional Meteorological Centre here, till 10.30 p.m. on Sunday, in Chennai district, the Nungambakkam station recorded 20.4 mm of rainfall, Meenambakkam recorded 4.9 mm, YMCA Nandanam recorded 13.5 mm, Ennore Port 39 mm, Madhavaram 21 mm, Anna University 10.5 mm and Taramani 7.5 mm.
In Tiruvallur district, Puzhal recorded 11 mm, Poonamallee 0.5 mm, and in Chengalpattu district, VIT Chennai recorded 0.5 mm of rainfall.
In the wake of the cyclone, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu today called Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay to seek assistance from the T.N. government for the restoration of power systems, according to the A.P. CM office.
Mr. Naidu requested that manpower and machinery be sent for restoration, as a large number of power poles were damaged due to the Murasu cyclone.
Mr. Vijay has reportedly responded positively to the request.