KAKINADA/BHUBANESWAR: Andhra Pradesh and Odisha battened down the hatches Sunday as Cyclone Montha churned in the Bay of Bengal, gathering steam and strength to pound the coastal states late Tuesday with gale-force. winds of 90-110 kmph. Montha was located around 830km from Andhra’s Kakinada and 930km from Odisha’s Gopalpur late Sunday. It is likely to make landfall on Andhra’s coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam. At least five Andhra districts of Kakinada, East Godavari, Konaseema, Eluru and West Godavari were on their toes with a slew of contingency measures. These included evacuations from vulnerable zones, school closures and advisories to fishermen not to venture into seas. In Kakinada, officials started moving people from Hope Island to safer zones. Schools will be closed from Oct 27 to 31 in anticipation of heavy rain. Konaseema collector R Mahesh Kumar ordered closure of schools and said shelters have been prepared for over 6,000 people living in 34 villages near the coast. He said 428 pregnant women who were due in 15 days were shifted to health centres, and NDRF teams and earth movers were on stand-by. West Godavari authorities announced holidays for schools and colleges on Oct 27 and 28, besides suspension of all recreational activities at beaches and resorts. Similar school closures were mandated in Eluru. Telecom companies have been asked to set up generators to make sure mobile towers function without interruption. People living in dilapidated buildings and low-lying areas have been shifted out. In Odisha, the authorities mapped eight districts as “red zones”. “We have designated Malkangiri, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Gajapati, Ganjam, Kandhamal and Kalahandi as red zones. These areas are expected to experience the most severe impact, with extremely heavy rainfall on Tuesday and Wednesday,” disaster management minister Suresh Pujari said Sunday after a meeting with collectors.
