SRIKAKULAM: District Collector Swapnil Dinkar Pundkar emphasised that the administrative machinery must remain fully prepared to face the impending cyclone threat.
Speaking during a teleconference on Friday, he stated that a low-pressure system has formed in the Bay of Bengal, which is expected to intensify into a deep depression and later into a cyclone by the 26th, as warned by the Meteorological Department.
The cyclone is likely to concentrate between the North Andhra coast and the southern Odisha coast, bringing heavy rains from the 27th to the 29th. Particularly on the 27th and 28th, strong winds with speeds up to 90 km per hour are expected.
Collector Dinkar directed officials to set up control rooms at division centers and remain vigilant at all times, and urged that people living in flood-prone areas and weak houses should be shifted to safe zones and rehabilitation centres.
He ordered that from the 26th onwards, fishermen must completely stop venturing into the sea, keep boats secured in safe places, and conduct patrolling in coordination with marine police.
Farmers were advised to protect crops that are ready for harvest and move grain to safe warehouses. He instructed that schools, hospitals, mobile towers and rehabilitation centers must have generators available to ensure immediate backup in case of power outages.