Andhra Pradesh: Cyclone Murasu leaves two dead, Rs 344 crore loss and over 52,000 hectares of crops hit

At least two people died in Andhra Pradesh as Cyclone Murasu crossed the south coast near Ongole early on Tuesday, and the state's first damage assessment puts preliminary losses at Rs 344 crore, according to the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA).

The storm came ashore between 3:30 am and 5:30 am IST on 3 November, with gusts of up to 120 km/h, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). By late evening it had weakened and was moving slowly inland, west-southwest of Vijayawada. Officials did not give details of how the two people died.

Farms and power lines take the hit

APSDMA managing director Prakhar Jain said standing crops on about 52,459 hectares had been affected, a sharp rise from an earlier preliminary estimate issued in the morning. Paddy, cotton and maize suffered the most, with Krishna, Bapatla and Nandyal among the worst-hit districts for waterlogged fields.

The authority also reported 312 houses damaged and said about 2,750 electricity poles had been brought down, along with transmission lines, substations and distribution equipment, with Prakasam and Bapatla hit hardest. Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan directed officials to restore roads and power quickly in areas where the rain had eased.

An official release said 132 mandals in 15 districts saw unusual impact from the storm. About 12,230 people were still staying in relief shelters on Tuesday evening. Before landfall, more than 3,000 pregnant women had been shifted to hospitals as a precaution, and hundreds of medical teams and ambulances were placed on standby.

Rescue teams and transport

National and state disaster response teams, fire service crews and generators were deployed to clear fallen trees and drain stagnant water. Several trains on the Vijayawada-Ongole-Gudur section were cancelled, diverted or rescheduled, and South Coast Railway said services were gradually resuming by Tuesday evening. Flights were also cancelled at Vijayawada, Tirupati and Visakhapatnam.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu thanked the Centre for its quick help and said state officials were working closely with central teams on rescue and relief. He also thanked Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and the people of Karnataka for their support.

What comes next

IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said the system would weaken further on Wednesday and dissipate by 5 November. Heavy to very heavy rain is still forecast at isolated places in coastal Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday, and neighbouring Telangana is on alert as the remnant moves north-northwest.

Murasu is the second severe storm to strike the Andhra coast within a week. Damage to the kharif harvest, just weeks before paddy procurement, could weigh on farm incomes in one of India's main rice-growing states, and the final crop loss figure will shape any request for central disaster assistance.