Cyclone Hudhud makes landfall at Visakhapatnam coast

The very severe cyclonic storm, Hudhud, made landfall at Visakhapatnam on Sunday at 11:30 am taking the wind speeds to as high as 170 km per hour. Incessant rainfall was also reported, claiming two lives in Visakhapatnam and Srikakulam. The Indian Navy said that the situation on the ground was not good and that it had made all preparations to ensure the safety of the people. "The situation on the ground is pretty bad, the Navy has made full preparations," said Admiral SK Grewal. The Navy has dispatched 15 diving teams, 5 to Srikakulam and 10 teams to low lying areas in and around Visakhapatnam for rescue and relief operations. The Navy said mobilisation was getting hampered as roads were blocked due to uprooted trees and power lines. MoS PMO Jitendra Singh spoke to CNN-IBN and said that this was not a super cyclone. "Instructions have been issued so that we are prepared for all kinds of situations. The Chief Secretaries of affected states are in touch with all top officials," he said. In Delhi, IMD Director Laxman Singh Rathore said the centre of cyclone was crossing the Andhra Pradesh coast and wind speed was 170-180 kmph gusting up to 195 kmph. He said the wind speed will come down by 50 percent in the next six hours. The average sea wave surge was 1.5 meter and will vary from one to two meters in places as the cyclone crosses Visakhapatnam. 42 NDRF teams and the Army are on standby. All trains and flights between Bhubaneshwar and Visakhapatnam have been cancelled. Large scale evacuations are still on.

Also Read: India better prepared for likely cyclone 'Hudhud': SkymetHeavy rain with gale speed winds are lashing Visakhapatnam, Srikakulam, Vijayanagaram districts since Saturday night, inundating low-lying areas, uprooting trees, snapping electricity and communications.