The tropical Cyclone 04B renamed as Helen has strengthened and is slowly nearing landfall in Andhra coast by Friday afternoon. Under its influence heavy to very heavy rainfall would occur over coastal Andhra Pradesh during next 48 hours commencing from Thursday night.
The Indian Meteorological Department’s (IMD) has on Thursday advised authorities to suspend fishing operations and evacuate villagers living along the coast.It has been raining heavily in Rajahmundry and other parts of East Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh since Thursday morning. Tidal waves washed away a part of the sea wall at Uppada village, flooding a nearby road and affecting vehicular traffic.
According to the IMD sources, cyclone Helen is moving in from the Bay of Bengal and is expected to bring gale of up to 110 km per hour heavy rains and storm surges reaching 1.5 metres when it makes landfall close to the city of Ongole on Friday afternoon. The cyclone is feared to cause extensive damage to thatched roofs and huts, while causing minor damage to power and communication lines due to uprooting of large avenue trees, said the sources. Helen is also predicted to impact parts of Odisha and the neighbouring States of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, said the sources of IMD.
Authorities have put up warning signals at all ports along the Andhra Pradesh coast. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has rushed six teams to the region. A control room to monitor the situation has been opened at the state secretariat in Hyderabad. The weather department has however clarified that Helen’s intensity would be much less than cyclone Phailin, which hit the Odisha coast on October 12.