Cyclone Murasu aftermath: two dead, crops on 52,459 hectares hit, preliminary loss put at Rs 344 crore

Cyclone Murasu came ashore close to Ongole, the Prakasam district headquarters, as a severe cyclonic storm before dawn on Tuesday, 3 November, between 3.30 and 5.30 am, leaving flattened crops, fallen trees and broken power lines across the southern coastal districts. Winds blew at 100 to 110 kmph and gusted to 120 kmph. It was the state’s second cyclone in seven days, arriving soon after Cyclone Arnab.

At least two people died in cyclone-related incidents, Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority managing director Prakhar Jain said on Tuesday evening. He put the damage to standing crops at 52,459 hectares, said 312 houses had been damaged and gave a preliminary loss estimate of Rs 344 crore. The government’s first press note, issued earlier on Tuesday, had counted crop damage on 30,661 hectares in 15 districts, with Krishna, Bapatla and Nandyal the worst hit and paddy, cotton and maize the main losses. All of these figures are preliminary and may change as field teams finish their assessment.

Relief camps and rescue teams

By Tuesday afternoon, 10,805 people had been shifted to 171 relief camps, where 14,810 food packets were handed out; by evening 12,230 people were in relief centres. The relief work drew 11 teams of the NDRF and 13 of the SDRF, and 613 generators were kept ready. The Fire Services department sent 185 teams onto the roads to cut and clear fallen trees and to drain standing water.

Health arrangements began before the storm reached land. As a precaution, 1,008 new mothers and 3,066 expectant mothers were taken to hospitals. Thirteen districts received 725 medical teams, while 362 ambulances stood ready for emergencies.

In Ongole, uprooted trees blocked roads and snapped power lines, while water entered low-lying areas in several coastal towns. Several trains on the Vijayawada-Gudur route were cancelled. South Coast Railway said its crews were working round the clock on the line and that services were coming back in stages.

Power restoration and help from the Centre

Energy Minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar told the chiefs of the two power distribution companies covering the affected region, APCPDCL and APSPDCL, to bring supply back as quickly as possible. He asked that the line crews arriving from Telangana and Tamil Nadu be given proper food and lodging. Residents can report snapped wires or fallen poles on the toll-free number 1912, and the minister urged people to keep away from any fallen line.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah called Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to ask about the damage and promised every kind of help from the Centre. Naidu, who tracked the storm through the Real Time Governance Society (RTGS), used a post on X to thank the officials and emergency crews working in the field. People who need help can send a message to the state’s Mana Mitra WhatsApp service.