Kakinada: Cyclone Michaung has caused large-scale damage in the five Godavari districts of Kakinada, BR Ambedkar Konaseema, Eluru, East and West Godavari and claimed two lives.
A culvert between Rampachodavaram and Gangavaram was washed away and the transport along the route remained suspended. The tornado wreaked havoc in some mandals and the houses in some villages were blown away in the strong winds.
Coconut and other trees were uprooted and blown away to some distance.
Two persons -- Vetti Gangaraju and Jodi Ramudu -- were sleeping in their thatched house at Rajanagaram. The roof of the hut was blown away and the hut collapsed on them, resulting in their instant death. The Buttayigudem police registered a case.
Tornadoes or high-intensity whirlwinds wreaked havoc in Veeravasaram, Palakollu in West Godavari, Razole and other areas in Konaseema district, Gandepalli and Annavaram in Kakinada district. Roofs of houses were blown away and more than 200 coconut trees were uprooted in Killapudi and Saniwada villages in Palakollu mandal of West Godavari district.
“We never experienced such havoc in the past. We were sleeping. The roof of our hut blew away and we ran out. We were not able to stand on our legs. We saved our lives by hugging a mango tree. So strong were the winds. Several coconut trees were uprooted and blown away,” said a woman of Sanivada village.
Another woman in Velivela village of Palkollu mandal said the vessels in her house were blown away.
In Veeravasaram mandal’s Tholeru village, two thatched houses collapsed and tractors as also electrical and harvest machines were blown away. In Konaseema, trees were uprooted and their branches fell on to live wires. Hundreds of villages in the Godavari districts remained in darkness from Tuesday midnight to Wednesday afternoon.
The farmers were the worst-hit due to the cyclonic storm and rains. Their paddy crop was inundated. The farmers started pulling out their paddy from water in the submerged fields in the hope of saving these or were straightening these with ropes.
According to a farmer, their crop was ready for harvest. But due to the cyclone, the harvesting has been postponed for four days. “Meanwhile, the cyclone damaged the crop and I can’t get even 10 bags of paddy now.
He had invested nearly '30,000 per acre and is faced with serious odds. “I request the government to pay us compensation and save their lives,” he said.
Many fields in Narsapuram, Mogalturu, Bhimavaram, Razole, Katrenikona, Uppalaguptam and other mandals have been inundated.
Horticulture crops like mirchi, turmeric, maize, black-gram, green-gram, tobacco, jowar etc have been inundated due to the heavy rain in agency areas lik Rampachodavaram, Devipatnam, Kunavaram, VR Puram and other mandals in Alluri Sitarama Raju district.
AP Rythu Sangham Kunavaram mandal committee president T Nagarju and leaders A Murali and others urged the state government to assess the investment the farmers made and pay double of it as compensation. AP Rythu Sangham state secretary K Srinivas visited many areas in Eluru district and requested the government to help the farmers.
Meanwhile, a wall to the Children Home near the women’s college in Rajamahendravaram collapsed and the rain water entered the home. The home officials shifted the children to a nearby hostel.
West Godavari collector Prashanthi reviewed the cyclone situation with the officials in Bhimavaram on Wednesday and said a plan of action should be prepared and implemented soon to save the crops.
The East Godavari special officer and CRDA commissioner Vivek Yadav and district collector Madhavilatha advised the officials to undertake crop enumeration and assess the property loss fo the farmers. Vivek Yadav said officials should identify the damaged roads and develop it on a war-foot manner.
Madhavi Latha said 16cm rainfall has been recorded during the cyclone period in the district.
Konaseema collector Himanshu Shukla said many trees and electric poles were uprooted in the rain and storm. After clearing the roads and removing the trees and branches, power supply power has been restored to the affected areas.
Eluru collector Prasanna Venkatesh advised the officials to take steps to drive out water from the inundated paddyfields and extend other help to the farmers.
Kakinada recorded 3126.2mm rainfall on an average of 148.9mm and Sankhavaram recorded the highest rainfall of 265mm. West Godavari recorded 3671.9mm on an average of 183.6mm and Palakollu mandal recorded the highest rainfall of 346.6mm.
East Godavari district registered 3171.6mm on an average of 166.9mm rainfall and Tallapudi registered 232.4mm, the highest rainfall.
Konaseema district registered an average rainfall of 149.8mm and Atreyapuram registered the highest rainfall of 200.2mm.
