Authorities in India’s southern state of Andhra Pradesh have ordered evacuations and stepped up emergency preparations as severe cyclonic storm Murasu approaches the coast, with landfall expected around midnight on Monday.
The cyclone comes just days after Cyclone Arnab reportedly struck India’s southern coastline, leaving five people dead.
According to an update issued on Monday by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Cyclone Murasu is expected to move northwestwards and cross the southern Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Narsapur, near Ongole, between late Monday night and the early hours of Tuesday.
The storm is forecast to bring winds of 100 to 110 kilometres per hour, raising concerns about damage to infrastructure, disruption of electricity supplies and risks to coastal communities.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has directed government departments and emergency response agencies to make necessary preparations ahead of the cyclone’s arrival.
Naidu warned that preliminary estimates suggested between 6,000 and 8,000 electricity poles could be damaged by the storm, posing a “severe threat to power supply.”
Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan also issued a warning on X, identifying Nellore, Prakasam, Bapatla and Krishna as districts likely to experience severe impacts.
Authorities have ordered residents of low-lying and vulnerable coastal areas to move to safer locations as a precautionary measure.
Emergency preparations are focused on protecting lives, reducing infrastructure damage and ensuring that essential services can be restored following the storm.
The approaching cyclone has heightened concerns across Andhra Pradesh, where authorities are urging residents in vulnerable areas to follow official warnings and evacuation instructions.