Andhra Shuts Schools, Cancels 19 Flights, and Mobilizes NDRF Amid 120 Kmph Winds
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Coastal South India has mounted an extensive emergency response as Severe Cyclonic Storm 'Murasu' intensifies across the Bay of Bengal, closing in on the South Andhra Pradesh coastline between Nellore and Narsapur. With atmospheric tracking indicating peak wind speeds reaching 100 to 110 kmph alongside gale gusts touching 120 kmph, authorities across Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Odisha have initiated comprehensive disaster mitigation measures. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) confirmed that the severe system is charting a northwestward trajectory, making landfall near Ongole between late Monday night and the early morning hours of Tuesday, prompting massive travel disruptions, educational institution shutdowns, and large-scale emergency evacuations.
Severe Flight Disruptions Hit Andhra Airports: 19 Services Grounded Across Vijayawada, Vizag, and Tirupati
Aviation operations across Andhra Pradesh have suffered substantial setbacks as feeder bands from Cyclone Murasu triggered adverse visibility and severe turbulence. Airport authorities reported the immediate cancellation of at least 19 domestic flights connecting Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, and Tirupati. Vijayawada Airport Director M. Lakshmi Kanta Reddy confirmed that low-cost carrier IndiGo grounded 10 inbound and outbound flights, while Air India Express suspended two operations. Furthermore, Visakhapatnam airport reported four service cancellations, with Tirupati handling three grounded departures. Neighboring Chennai international airport has likewise suspended selective regional flights, instructing air travelers to monitor airline trackers before departing for terminals.
Andhra Pradesh and Neighboring States Coordinate Grid Defense: 1,000 Electricians and NDRF Deployed
With South Coastal Andhra and the Rayalaseema belt bracing for torrential downpours and structural squalls, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has instructed district collectors and line departments to remain on round-the-clock emergency alert. Priority has been given to safeguarding the electrical grid from catastrophic disruption; Tamil Nadu has dispatched three National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) contingents comprising 90 personnel alongside 25 electricity department task forces featuring 500 technicians and heavy-duty line-repair equipment. Complementing this interstate cooperation, the Karnataka government has mobilized another 500 skilled line electricians equipped with power restoration machinery to ensure rapid post-landfall infrastructure recovery.
Chennai Inundated Under Relentless Rain as Odisha Mobilizes Over 300 Rescue Teams
Beyond the primary impact corridor in Andhra Pradesh, peripheral cloud bands have unleashed non-stop rain across northern Tamil Nadu, submerging arterial routes across Chennai, Chengalpattu, and Tiruvallur since Sunday night. District administrations ordered all schools in Chennai to remain closed on Monday, with red and orange weather alerts extending through Ranipet, Vellore, Kanchipuram, and the Nilgiris. Simultaneously, Odisha has activated preventative coastal protocols across its southern districts, including Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Koraput, and Malkangiri. Odisha Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari announced that over 300 emergency rescue units from the NDRF, Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), and State Fire Services are staged on standby, executing targeted evacuations while search teams continue efforts to locate 10 individuals missing following earlier landslide incidents.
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