Cyclone Fani triggers heavy rain, winds in parts of coastal Andhra

Extremely severe cyclone storm cyclone Fani, which hit Odisha coast near Puri on Friday morning, triggered heavy rains in parts of north coastal Andhra Pradesh, while gusty winds uprooted trees and electricity poles, officials said. The cyclone moved close to north coastal Andhra before it made landfall in neighbouring Odisha.  Under its impact, gusty winds with speed reaching up to 140 kmph lashed the coastal area of Srikakulam district. Srikakulam District Collector J Nivas said three houses were damaged due to the winds but there was no loss of life.  About 20,000 people were shifted to 126 relief camps in Srikakulam district, where seven 'mandals' (blocks) are likely to be affected by the cyclone. A red alert was sounded in the district with authorities taking preventive measures to avoid loss of life and minimise property damages. Andhra Pradesh: People take refuge in a shelter in Ichchapuram town of Srikakulam district. Some houses were damaged in the rain and wind experienced by the district today. IMD says the system influence will be prevalent in Srikakulam for next 12 hours. #CycloneFani pic.twitter.com/qIkVEnjStZ — ANI (@ANI) May 3, 2019 Nine National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams were deployed in the district.  According to Real Time Governance Society (RTGS) officials in Amaravati, Srikakulam's Kanchili 'mandal' received highest rainfall of 19 cm since Thursday. The heavy rains could also cause Vamsadhara and Nagavali rivers to overflow leading to floods in the region, officials said. Heavy downpours also lashed Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam, two other districts in the north coastal Andhra, since Thursday. The Indian Railways have cancelled about 100 trains between Visakhapatnam and Howrah on Friday and Saturday. Authorities have also cancelled 22 flights from Visakhapatnam Airport. In Odisha meanwhile, where the eye of the cyclone has moved inland almost completely, wind speeds up to 200 kmph are being recorded. The cyclone started crossing into the Odisha coast close to Puri between 8 am and 10 am on Friday. The process of landfall will continue till 1 p.m. About a million people were evacuated to safer places in Odisha due to the cyclonic storm.