Andhra Pradesh evacuates coastal residents ahead of second cyclone in a week

Evacuations are under way along low-lying stretches of the coast in India's southern state of Andhra Pradesh as authorities prepare for Cyclone Murasu. The approaching storm threatens a region still recovering from Cyclone Arnab, which hit the same coastline last Wednesday, leaving six people dead and destroying dozens of homes and crops.

About 2,000 residents had been moved by Monday, according to Prakhar Jain, managing director of the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority. Speaking to the Reuters news agency, Jain said authorities planned to evacuate approximately 30,000 people as preparations continued ahead of the cyclone's expected arrival.

The India Meteorological Department forecast that Murasu would cross the southern Andhra Pradesh coast near Ongole, between Nellore and Narsapur. Its predicted landfall window extended from 11:30pm local time on Monday to 4am on Tuesday, corresponding to 18:00 GMT to 22:30 GMT on Monday.

Forecasters expected Murasu to reach the coast as a severe cyclonic storm, bringing sustained winds of about 100 to 110 kilometres per hour, or 60 to 70 miles per hour. Gusts could reach 120 kilometres per hour, or 75 miles per hour. The cyclone was nevertheless expected to be less intense than Arnab.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu instructed officials to prepare for the storm and highlighted the potential damage to electricity infrastructure. Estimates indicated that between 6,000 and 8,000 electrical poles could be damaged, he said, creating a severe threat to power supplies. Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan said in a post on X that Nellore, Prakasam, Bapatla and Krishna districts were expected to face a severe impact.

Emergency teams were deployed before the storm's arrival. Jain said six National Disaster Response Force teams and seven State Disaster Response Force teams had been positioned in advance, according to the IANS news agency. The ANI news agency reported that three of the national teams had come from neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

In Nellore district, Collector Himanshu Shukla called on fishermen to stay ashore and directed officials serving coastal areas to remain at their posts. Schools were also closed across Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Odisha as the region prepared for the approaching cyclone.

Rain was forecast to persist in parts of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha and Chhattisgarh through Wednesday, even as Murasu weakened, according to ETV Bharat. The preparations come less than a week after Arnab struck the coastline.