Cyclone Fani spares North coastal Andhra
SRIKAKULAM: People in Srikakulam district and other two north coastal districts - Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram - breathed a sigh of relief, with extreme severe cyclonic storm Fani sparing them and moving towards Odisha southern coast.
However, under the influence of cyclone, there were moderate to heavy rains in northern mandals of Srikakulam district. Some areas in Sompeta, Srikakulam and Kanchili mandals received around 19 cm of rains with high-velocity winds on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday.
In Ichapuram, which borders Odisha, winds at 140 kmph were registered and in some parts of Uddanam region, several coconut and palm trees were uprooted. Branches of the trees fell on the interior roads and NDRF personnel and fire services personnel teams deployed to the district as a precautionary measure cleared them.
As many as 132 electric poles, most of them erected after Titli cyclone six months ago, got uprooted. Three thatched roofed huts, one each in Ichapuram, Mandasa and Kanchili mandals suffered damage.
Speaking to TNIE, district collector J Niwas said that there were no casualties and damage was marginal. He said out of the 130 and odd electric poles that were uprooted due to gale winds, a majority were in Kanchili, Kaviti, Sompeta, Ichapuram and Palasa mandals.
“As many as 2000 staff of electricity department are engaged in restoration works and by evening we expect to restore power to 70-80 percent of the affected areas. Superintending Engineer-level officials in each mandal are supervising the restoration works. Power connectivity to rest of the district has been restored. As a precautionary measure, power connectivity was disconnected on Thursday night,” he explained.
Around 20,000 who were evacuated from vulnerable locations and took shelter in 252 relief centres set up in the district, started returning home since Friday morning itself. However, the district administration decided to continue running the centers till evening. Water and food are being provided at those centers.
On the other hand, irrigation department officials are in touch with their Odisha counterparts to monitor flood-levels in Nagavali, Vamsadhara, Mahendra Tanaya and Bahuda rivers. On Thursday, as a precautionary measure, all the 24 gates of Gotta Barrage on Vamsadhara river in Hiramandalam was opened, but on Friday morning, with no inflows or rains in the upper catchment areas, 18 gates were closed and water is being released from the remaining 6 gates at 320 cusecs.
According to officials, only when the flood levels cross 1 lakh cusecs mark, will the first warning of floods be issued. However, to be on the safe side, all the officials in the riverside mandals were put on alert.