The government has restricted vehicular movement in seven districts until 6 am on the morning of Wednesday, including on national highways. Only emergency medical vehicles are exempt. Citizens have been advised to stay indoors, avoid venturing out, and remain alert until the storm passes.
Published Oct 28, 2025 | 9:30 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 28, 2025 | 9:30 PM
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan are overseeing large-scale rescue and rehabilitation operations.
Synopsis: Cyclone Montha made landfall between Kakinada and Machilipatnam on the evening of Tuesday, bringing fierce winds, torrential rain, and widespread disruption across coastal Andhra Pradesh. The state government has imposed a ban on vehicular movement across seven districts, set up more than 1,200 relief camps, and deployed disaster response teams as over 75,000 people were evacuated to safety. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan are overseeing large-scale rescue and rehabilitation operations, with authorities warning of continuing heavy rain and strong winds until the morning of Wednesday.
Andhra Pradesh is bracing for the full impact of Cyclone Montha, which made landfall between Kakinada and Machilipatnam around 8.30 pm on the evening of Tuesday, 28 October, bringing powerful winds and heavy rain.
The storm has triggered a large-scale mobilisation across the state as the government moves to prevent casualties and minimise damage.
The State Disaster Management Authority and the Real-Time Governance Society (RTGS) have issued a high alert for Krishna, Eluru, East and West Godavari, Kakinada, Dr BR Ambedkar Konaseema, and the Chinturu and Rampachodavaram divisions of Alluri Sitarama Raju district, warning of severe impact through the night.
“The severe cyclonic storm Montha has made landfall between Kakinada and Machilipatnam coasts. At around 7.40 pm on Tuesday, it was centred about 120 km from Machilipatnam, 110 km from Kakinada, and 220 km from Visakhapatnam. Over the past six hours, the cyclone has been moving at a speed of 17 km per hour,” said Prakhar Jain, Managing Director, State Disaster Management Authority.
“It is expected to take another three to four hours to completely cross the coast. The cyclone is currently making landfall near Kakinada. Gale winds with speeds of 90 to 100 km per hour are blowing along the coastal belt. People are advised to remain safely indoors.”
In an unprecedented move, the government has restricted vehicular movement in seven districts until 6 am on the morning of Wednesday, including on national highways. Only emergency medical vehicles are exempt. Citizens have been advised to stay indoors, avoid venturing out, and remain alert until the storm passes.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, who conducted a high-level review from the RTGS Centre in Amaravati along with Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, directed officials to deploy drones over inundated areas for continuous surveillance and rapid assessment.
“Extra caution is needed in low-lying regions, especially where flash floods are possible due to overflowing streams,” the Chief Minister cautioned. He ordered the immediate relocation of rescue and relief machinery wherever necessary, and real-time coordination between village secretariats and control rooms.
Officials informed him that alerts had already been sent to 3.6 crore mobile users across all coastal and vulnerable areas. They reported that 3,000 generators have been installed at village and ward secretariats, which are now functioning as local base camps for emergency response.
Officials also briefed the Chief Minister that 43,000 hectares of crops have been submerged across Konaseema, Prakasam, Nandyal, Kadapa, and East Godavari districts, while 1.38 lakh hectares of horticultural crops have been affected. The Chief Minister directed the Agriculture Department to upgrade its app to enable farmers to directly upload crop loss data for faster compensation.
The government has also stocked 8.65 lakh metric tonnes of cattle fodder to prevent livestock distress.
The government has set up 1,204 rehabilitation centres and 488 control rooms at the mandal level, while 75,802 people have been moved to relief camps. Over 219 medical camps are operational, and 81 wireless towers and 21 high-intensity searchlights have been readied for night operations.
A fleet of 1,447 heavy vehicles—including JCBs, cranes and proclainers—along with 321 drones and 1,040 mechanical saws, has been placed on standby for debris clearance and rescue work.
Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, who is personally supervising operations in Kakinada district and his Pithapuram constituency, is holding hourly teleconferences with district officials.
Under his direction, a 34-member NDRF team, supported by 12 Quick Response Team members and 12 expert swimmers, has been deployed in Pithapuram with 34 rescue boats on standby.
Twenty-five rehabilitation camps have been set up in the constituency, equipped with food, clean drinking water, milk, medicines and generators. Daily meals are being served to 12,000 people at lunch and 15,000 at dinner, with 5,000 milk packets and 1.5 lakh water sachets distributed every day.
Pawan Kalyan has instructed officials to ensure zero loss of life and to immediately clear uprooted trees and electric poles to restore transport links between villages. He is coordinating with Collector Shahn Mohan, SP Bindu Madhav and Special Officer Krishna Teja to oversee relief work across coastal villages such as Uppada, Mulapeta, Konapapapeta and Ameenabad.
Rainfall data between 8.30 am and 12.30 pm showed intense downpours: Ulavapadu (12.6 cm), Kavali (12.2 cm), Singarayakonda (10.5 cm) and Dagadarthi (12 cm) in the southern coastal belt, while Visakhapatnam and Tuni recorded 2 cm each.
Reminding officials how his administration had restored normalcy within four days after Cyclone Hudhud struck Visakhapatnam in the past, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu urged them to “act with the same speed and precision.” He emphasised that all departments—from irrigation and energy to police and panchayat raj—must work in tandem.
With heavy rainfall reported in the undivided West Godavari district, the Chief Minister ordered close monitoring of canal flows to prevent breaches and ensure effective water diversion. He also instructed that pregnant women and vulnerable groups in coastal areas be shifted to safe shelters immediately.
Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan and Minister Nara Lokesh assured the Chief Minister that district collectors and SPs remain in constant touch with the RTGS Centre and that real-time tracking of relief vehicles and equipment is underway.
As Cyclone Montha barrels towards the coast, winds of 100 to 110 km per hour are expected to lash the region between Kakinada and Machilipatnam, accompanied by intense rainfall until the morning of Wednesday.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
