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Andhra braces for Cyclone Yaas; CM holds review meeting
Though the impact on Andhra Pradesh is expected to be minimal, chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy told Union home minister Amit Shah during a video conference on Monday that the state’s official machinery was being vigilant
Andhra Pradesh is bracing for severe cyclonic storm Yaas, which is predicted to make a major impact on the state, apart from Odisha, West Bengal, and Andaman Nicobar region in the next 48 hours. According to India Meteorological Department, the cyclone is very likely to cross north Odisha-West Bengal coasts between Paradip and Sagar islands around noon of May 26, this Wednesday, as a very severe cyclonic storm.
Though the impact on Andhra Pradesh is expected to be minimal, chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy told Union home minister Amit Shah during a video conference on Monday that the state’s official machinery was being vigilant. Chief ministers of Odisha and West Bengal, and the Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands were also present at the meeting.
Reddy said the cyclone could impact north coastal Andhra Pradesh and a few other coastal districts. A high alert was sounded in Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam district, he said.
“The process of evacuation of people in the vulnerable areas had commenced in Srikakulam district, bordering Odisha. The process will be followed in other districts as well,” the chief minister said.
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Speaking to officials at a review meeting later, Jagan directed the officials to take up necessary measures during the cyclone, amid the pandemic. He has also instructed the officials to keep a close watch on oxygen shortage during the storm. Power supply to oxygen refilling plants should be on uninterrupted, he said.
He also directed the officials to be ready to make alternative arrangements if there was any difficulty in procuring oxygen from Odisha due to the cyclone. There should be further adequate reserves of oxygen.
An official release said Andhra Pradesh is largely dependent on supplies from steel plants located in eastern India -- Angul, Kalinganagar and Rourkela. Any disruption of the supply from these places can cause severe distress in the state. The state government has tried to step up oxygen supplies from Odisha in the last two days using express trains in order to maintain buffer stock, it said.
