At least three people died in Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday in rain-related incidents caused by Cyclone Michaung, The Hindu reported.
Two persons died when a portion of a poultry unit collapsed in the Eluru district. A police constable was killed after a tree fell on him while he was riding a motorcycle in the Siddavatam forest range.
Subsequently, the cyclone weakened into a depression, the India Meteorological Department said on Wednesday. The storm was about 50 kms east-northeast of Khammam, the weather department said at 9.15 am.
The cyclone completed its landfall process in Andhra Pradesh’s Bapatla district on Tuesday.
The heavy rainfall affected nearly 40 lakh people in 194 villages, PTI reported citing data shared by the Andhra Pradesh chief minister’s office. At least 15,173 residents in the state were shifted to 204 relief camps.
In Bapatla, authorities deployed 50 special teams to provide relief to the public. More than 1,350 persons were relocated from low-lying areas to 27 relief camps set up in schools and government buildings, according to the Hindustan Times.
The cyclone left a trail of destruction, damaging crops and disrupting transport and communication networks in at least six coastal districts of the state, the Hindustan Times reported.
There was extensive damage to agriculture and horticulture crops in Tirupati, Nellore, Kadapa, Prakasam, Bapatla, Krishna, NTR and Konaseema districts, the newspaper reported.
About 770 kms of roads were damaged, 35 trees uprooted, PTI reported. The cyclone damaged 232 houses and 78 huts.
The electricity infrastructure of the Andhra Pradesh Southern Power Distribution Company was also reportedly damaged.
The Southern Railway has cancelled 305 trains in the coastal Andhra region between December 2 and December 8. Eleven trains have been diverted.
The rains also affected flight services at the Vishakhapatnam airport, reported The Hindu.
The cyclone had left several housing localities and low-lying areas in Chennai flooded on Monday.
Cyclone effect in Tamil Nadu
The incessant rains brought by the cyclone had resulted in several streets and neighbourhoods getting flooded in Tamil Nadu’s Chennai on Monday. At least 17 people died in the city due to rain-related incidents, reported NDTV.
Residents in some parts of Chennai continued to grapple with waterlogging and power outages on Wednesday.
In Velachery, which was among the most severely affected areas in the city, two men have been trapped inside a 40-foot trench for nearly 50 hours. Although rescue operations are underway, the motor pumps being used are not powerful enough to drain the water, reported DT Next.
To undertake relief and restoration works in the rain-affected areas, Chief Minister MK Stalin has sought an interim relief of Rs 5,060 crore from the Central government.
In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Stalin detailed the impacts of the cyclone on several districts. He said that areas under the Chennai municipal corporation have suffered significant damage to roads, bridges and public infrastructure.
He told the prime minister the state government was in the process of preparing a comprehensive report to assess the need for further funds.
Meanwhile, the state authorities have declared another day’s holiday for schools and colleges in Chennai on Thursday.
Watch: Cyclone Michaung: Sea turns turbulent, heavy rains batter Andhra Pradesh as landfall begins
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