Cyclone Montha inflicted ₹5,265 crore damage across Andhra Pradesh’s coastal districts.
Agriculture sector worst hit with ₹829 crore crop loss, officials confirm.
IMD says cyclone weakened into low-pressure area over central Chhattisgarh.
The preliminary damage estimates for Cyclone Montha stood at around ₹5,265 crore, including roughly ₹829 crore in crop damage, reported TOI.
According to reports, the severe cyclone battered India's eastern coast this week causing damage to farms, roads and buildings as a result of flooding in Andhra Pradesh.
Cyclone Montha crossed the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts between 11.30 p.m. on Tuesday (October 28) and 12.30 a.m. on Wednesday (October 29), close to Narsapuram in Andhra Pradesh, The Hindu reported citing the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. Wind speeds touched 90 kmph near the Machilipatnam coast as the storm crossed the coast. It gradually weakened into a cyclonic storm by 2.30 a.m. and then into a deep depression by 8.30 a.m. on Wednesday (October 29), it added. .
Heavy rain brought by the cyclone also lashed the neighbouring state of Telangana, causing flooding that persisted on October 30.
Visuals from ANI, in which Reuters has a minority stake, showed people wading through knee-deep water carrying belongings they had salvaged in their hands or balanced on their heads.
Other images showed rescue workers carrying residents pulled out of flooded areas to safer ground.
The cyclone should continue to weaken into a low-pressure area over the next 24 hours, the weather department said on the evening of October 30.
According to the latest update from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Cyclone Montha has weakened but still persists over central Chhattisgarh and nearby regions. The IMD said the system is currently moving northwestwards and is likely to weaken further in the next few hours. Meanwhile, another weather system — a “depression over the east central Arabian Sea” — has been moving slowly northwards at a speed of about 3 kmph over the past six hours, reported Mint.
Cyclones frequently hit India's east coast between April and December.
Relief Calls Focus on Crop Damage
While the Chief minister of Andhra Pradesh dismissed any human deaths while addressing the press conference at the Secretariat, PTI reported death of three people on October 30 while TOI reported 120 cattle deaths which occurred in separate incidents.
“A comprehensive report is being prepared for submission to the Centre,” Naidu said.
In addition, TOI reported that the state administration was monitoring the cyclone from its formation stage via the Real-Time Governance Society (RTGS) Centre. The cyclone made landfall near Antarvedi, triggering widespread rainfall across multiple districts. However, the state's early warning system ensured that vulnerable populations were relocated in advance.
