Murasu impact in Guntur: Collector hails people resilience in face of cyclone

Guntur district Collector C.M. Saikanth Varma hailed courage shown by the people in the face of Cyclone Murasu that caused considerable hardships to them, pointing out their coordination with the administration had been the greatest support to carry out quick restoration operations.

Cyclone Murasu made landfall close to Ongole in Prakasam district on Tuesday leaving a trail of destruction in the surrounding districts, including Guntur, bringing heavy rain to the region, uprooting nearly 100 trees and damaging 17 roads.

Five roads have been restored and all the uprooted trees have been cleared. Addressing the media, he said the district received an average rainfall of 18.3 cm in two days. Kakumanu recorded the highest rainfall of 26.1 cm, followed by Guntur West (24.7 cm) and Phirangipuram (24.5 cm).

The administration shifted 4,217 people to 58 relief centres and provided food and other essential facilities. Food was also distributed to nearly 5,500 passengers travelling on eight trains. As many as 210 pregnant women were shifted to hospitals as a precaution.

The Collector said 55 villages faced power disruptions due to the cyclone, with 20 electricity poles damaged. Restoration work was underway, and supply to 10 villages had been restored. The Nallamada Vagu breached at three locations after receiving nearly 40,000 cusecs against its capacity of 18,000 cusecs.

Officials expected the flow to reach 45,000 cusecs. He said crop-loss assessments were being undertaken to ensure compensation for farmers and proposals would be prepared to strengthen roads and streams against future natural disasters.