Cyclone Laila lashes Coastal Andhra

Heavy rains lashed all the nine districts of coastal Andhra Pradesh on Thursday inundating low lying areas and disrupting normal life as the severe cyclonic storm, `Laila', in the Bay of Bengal, threatens to cause devastation.

Although it showed signs of weakening, `Laila' continued to be severe and travelling steadly towards the direction of Bapatla in Guntur district. According to a bulliten issued by the Indian Meteorological Department at 7 am, "the system is weakening due to wind shear and land interaction".


Under its influence, widespread rainfall with scattered heavy to very heavy falls is likely over coastal Andhra during the next 36 hours. Gale force wind with maximum speed reaching 100-110 kmph is likely along and off Andhra coast at the time of landfall. "Extensive damage to thatched roofs and huts and damage to power and communication lines due to uprooting of large avenue trees are expected", the bulletin said.

Anticipating the damage, the A. P. Government has shifted more than 30,000 people to safer places. The cyclone disrupted power supply to 1492 villages and 11 towns including Ongole, Kandukur, Chirala, Ramachandrapuram, Bapatla, Bhimavaram, Tanuku, Palacole, Mandapeta, Eluru and Repalle.

A Government official said the storm was likely to hit the Andhra coast by late afternoon. He, however, did not rule out the possibility of the cyclone changing its course and moving northwards towards Orissa. As a precautionary measure, Storm Warning Signal 10 hoisted across all the sea ports has not been withdrawn.

Three more storm-related deaths were reported -- two in Guntur district and one in East Godavari. Irrigation authorities lifted four gates of the Gundlakamma reservoir in Prakasam district releasing 5,000 cusecs of water. At least two trains -- Nellore-Secunderabad Simhapuri Express and Rajahmundry-Visakhapatnam passenger -- were stopped en route as the South Central Railway authorities feared that the track may not be safe.

Communication to the riverine islands in the Krishna delta was completely cut off while the road from Chirala to Ongole was damaged as Prakasam district received torrential rainfall.