Andhra Rains: 9 Dead, Thousands Evacuated as IMD Issues 5-Day Alert Amid Cyclonic Depression

Heavy Rains Wreak Havoc in Andhra Pradesh: Nine people die and thousands are shifted as cyclonic depression remains in force.

Heavy rain continues to strikes the Coastal Andhra Pradesh for the second day and poses threat to life with raising the flood and forcing evictions of thousands. The IMD has put out a five-day warning as the Cyclonic Depression Asna strikes the area.

Widespread Impact and Evacuations
Nine people have been killed and more than 13,000 people in 294 villages of the five districts have been displaced mainly due to the heavy rains which continued till Sunday. The affected districts include NTR, Krishna, Bapatla, Guntur and Palnadu where the government of Andhra Pradesh has established one hundred rehabilitation centers to house the affected populace. Further, seventy five medical camps have been provisioned to cater for health care needs of the people.

Due to the heavy rainfall the Budameru Canal located in Vijayawada has flooded and a breach occurred and has submerged 12 wards. According to Vijayawada Municipal Commissioner H M Dhyanachandra nearly 3000 people had been shifted from the flood affected areas.

We have IMD’s Weather Alert and its Prediction
South Odisha and the north Andhra Pradesh coast is currently under the coverage of the depression which the IMD has forecast to shift west-northwest then diminishing into a well-marked low pressure zone. Nevertheless, the climate of this area is predicted to have a general rainfall within the next one to twenty four hours. Red signals have been put in several districts of Srikakulam, Vijayanagaram, Parvatipuram Manyam, Alluri Sitarama Raju, Kakinada and Nandyala and expectations of light rain in Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli, Konaseema, East Godavari, West Godavari and in certain Rayalaseema districts.

Saving Efforts: Role of Government
According to State Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha, the police besides the NDRF and SDRF are involved in elaborate operations to rescue the people trapped in the floods. These rescue teams have been able to rescue 600 people from the affected area in the 7 districts. There are fifteen NDRF and SDRF teams working in total at twenty two places which have been the most affected by the floods.

As the situation still persists, the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh N Chandrababu Naidu arranged a core committee meeting for weather update. He ordered authorities to adopt innovative means, including drone usage in order to evaluate the situation as well as to provide better coordination in distributing aid.

Measures to Be Taken by the Public
Because of heavy inflows, the Krishna River is in spate and as such the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority has issued a first-level warning at Prakasam Barrage in Vijayawada. So far, the citizens have been urged to stay alert and follow all the recommended measures especially those living in the flood prone regions.

Governments are also observing the weather changes so as to take extra precautions in order to protect the vulnerable people.

Conclusion
The habitats have been flooded and this has continued to rain emphasizing the importance of an efficient disaster management system in the area. As the Andhra Pradesh prepares for more rains, the major concern is to reduce the impact of loss of lives and properties as well as try and bring back normalcy as soon as possible.