Cyclone Murasu approaches Andhra coast, triggers flight cancellations and evacuation across southern India

SEVERE CYCLONIC STORM MURASU APPROACHES ANDHRA COAST

Nellore/Narsapur — Severe Cyclonic Storm Murasu was advancing toward the Andhra Pradesh coast on Monday, the India Meteorological Department said, as the system threatened to disrupt travel, damage infrastructure and test the preparedness of states still recovering from a previous cyclone.

The IMD said Murasu was very likely to cross the south Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Narsapur between Monday midnight and Tuesday early morning, with wind speeds of 100 to 110 kmph gusting to 120 kmph. The system had moved northwestwards at 12 kmph over the west-central Bay of Bengal and was centred about 80 km east-northeast of Nellore by late afternoon.

At least 19 domestic flights were cancelled across Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Tirupati airports on Monday. IndiGo cancelled 10 flights and Air India Express two at Vijayawada Airport. Visakhapatnam Airport cancelled four flights and Tirupati Airport three. Chennai airport authorities also cancelled certain flights and advised passengers to contact their airlines for updates.

Heavy rainfall lashed Tamil Nadu, particularly Chennai, Chengalpattu and Tiruvallur districts, with the IMD warning of very heavy rainfall persisting in those areas. Schools in Chennai were closed on Monday as authorities braced for further rain. The cyclone's outer bands also brought rain to northern Tamil Nadu from Sunday evening, with some parts of north Chennai reporting waterlogging.

The Andhra Pradesh government activated a WhatsApp-based grievance reporting mechanism, number 9552300009, allowing residents to report emergencies such as power outages, uprooted trees, collapsed walls and waterlogging. Citizens were instructed to send "Hi" to the number, select the Services option, choose Murasu Cyclone Issues, click Report Issue and confirm, then register with name, district and mandal details.

Odisha has evacuated 1.6 lakh people across Ganjam, Gajapati, Malkangiri, Koraput and Kandhamal districts and placed 300 rescue teams from the NDRF, Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force and fire services on standby. The NDRF 10th Battalion has deployed 14 teams across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to coordinate with local officials.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu directed officials to remain on alert, citing forecasts of moderate to heavy rainfall and strong winds. The state energy department placed power utilities on high alert, directing officials to take precautionary measures to minimise damage to electricity infrastructure. With approximately 8,000 electricity poles likely to be affected, 31,000 poles have been dispatched from Srikakulam to Krishna district, and 1,000 personnel are expected to reach from Chennai to assist in power restoration works.

Tamil Nadu has deployed three NDRF teams comprising 90 personnel and 25 electricity department teams with 500 personnel and essential equipment to assist neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. Karnataka also announced it would send 500 skilled power personnel along with equipment.

The cyclone is expected to cause less severe impact than Cyclone Arnab, which made landfall the previous week, causing widespread damage in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. However, authorities are treating the system with caution given the recent memory of Arnab's impact, which affected 1.18 lakh people, damaged 1,672 houses and impacted approximately 75,000 hectares of agricultural land.

As the system moves closer to the coast, all Disaster Management agencies continue to monitor developments and stand ready to deploy rescue and relief operations as needed.