New Delhi: Cyclone Laila has weakened after crossing the Andhra Pradesh coast near Bapatla on Thursday afternoon. The cyclone failed to cause large scale damage but heavy rains claimed the lives of at least 16 people and strong winds disrupted power supplies. Strong winds uprooted trees and disrupted power and communication networks while thousands of homes in teh coastal areas were flooded.
As the cyclone made landfall near Bapatla in Guntur district, heavy downpour was witnessed in the district and in Prakasam with the latter suffering maximum damage. Ongole town, the headquarters of Prakasam district, remained waterlogged as it received 34 cm rainfall in 12 hours since Thursday night.
The Chennai-Kolkata National Highway 5 near Ongole in Andhra Pradesh was flooded due to heavy rains caused by the cyclone.
The cyclone is now moving in a path which meteorological department says is uncertain but it is expected to move towards Orissa and may re-intensify during the weekend.
The Andhra government is monitoring the situation, anticipating heavy rain in north Telangana region. A second cyclone Bandu was noticed in the Bay of Bengal but the meteorological department is still analysing its possible impact.
Army, Navy and Air Force units were deployed in the cyclone-affected areas of Andhra Pradesh to help the civil administration with the relief and rescue efforts in the coastal regions of the state.
A Defence Ministry release said the Army moved three columns, each comprising 96 men including doctors, from Hyderabad to East Godavari, West Godavari and Krishna districts while the IAF mobilised two Chetak and two MI-8 helicopters to carry out rescue and relief operations to the affected people of the state.
The IAF also put on standby 10 AN-32s and an IL-76 aircraft to meet any eventuality, it said.
A Naval team comprising 33 men with five Gemini boats reached Narsapur in West Godavari district, while two Dornier aircraft and two Chetak helicopters of the Coast Guard conducted sorties to trace the vessels still out at sea during the day. An Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessel (AOPV) too was pressed into action by the Coast Guard, it added.
As many 107 trains were either cancelled, partially cancelled or diverted. A special information centre has been set up at the Chennai Central Station where passengers can get information on train services affected due to the cyclone. The phone number of the information centre is 044-25330717, 044-25346031.
Earth Sciences Minister Prithviraj Chavan said in New Delhi that Cyclone Laila would not have any impact on monsoon.
"We are still going ahead with the initial prediction on monsoon. This season, monsoon will be normal and is expected to reach Kerala by May 30," Chavan said.
Indian Meteorological Department Director General Ajit Tyagi also maintained that the weather office has not changed its forecast for monsoon onset.
The IMD last month forecast a normal rainfall for this year with a precipitation of 98 per cent of the Long Period Average (LPA), subject to a model error of plus or minus five per cent for the entire season (from June to September).
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