Chennai: Within a week after cyclonic storm Helen and Phailin a month earlier, now Andhra Pradesh is fated to brace again for a third cyclone in quick succession. Tropical cyclone Lehar is forecast by the meteorological department to make landfall by Thursday evening near Kakinada on the Andhra coast. Lehar, blowing from south-east direction beyond Bay of Bengal, has been described as ferocious like Phailin which forced Andhra Pradesh and Odisha Governments make unprecedented preparations. Lakhs of people were evacuated in a first-of-its-kind smooth operation then. Now the gusty winds of Lehar are likely to lash the coasts at over 200 kmph speed and cause devastation of a magnitude Phailin wrought on. The sea has turned rough. Storm surges and pounding rains followed by floods are imminent. Thousands of fishing boats have been stopped from sailing into the waters. Over 600 boats
which ventured into the sea for fishing earlier are yet to return. The coastal districts from Visakhapatnam to Krishna will bear the brunt of the gusting storm. According to IMD officials, there will be extensive damages to houses and communication system and disruption in power supply. Rail and road transport will be suspended. Massive losses to crops are also feared. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deputed its teams to the coastal belt to be ready for rescue operations. People have started evacuating the low-lying areas. Seven people were killed by falling trees and flying debris when the cyclonic storm Helen had ripped across Andhra coast last Friday bringing in its wake torrential rains and floods. The pounding gales had caused disruption in traffic, communication and electricity supplies. The focal point of the storm was Machilipatnam in Krishna district. Krishna, West and East Godavari, Guntur and Prakasham districts suffered damages. Andhra Pradesh has about a thousand km of coasts and cyclones are an annual occurrence, especially during the months of September to November.
