Severe Cyclonic Storm Murasu Approaches Andhra Coast, Prompting Evacuations and Flight Cancellations

Severe Cyclonic Storm Murasu moved west-northwestward in the Bay of Bengal and is forecast to cross the south Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Narsapur between late Monday night and early Tuesday morning, with wind speeds of 100-110 km/h and gusts up to 120 km/h, the India Meteorological Department said.

Around 2,000 residents have been evacuated in Andhra Pradesh so far, and officials plan to move up to 30,000 more as the storm approaches. The Odisha government also began evacuating people from vulnerable areas in its districts, where heavy rain from the system has already damaged standing paddy crops.

Three National Disaster Response Force teams, totaling 90 personnel, were dispatched from the 4th Battalion near Arakkonam to assist with rescue, debris clearance and relief operations in districts such as Nellore, Prakasam and Markapuram.

Karnataka announced it would send 500 electricity-department workers and equipment to help restore power infrastructure in Andhra Pradesh, where more than 15,000 poles were uprooted by the earlier Cyclone Arnab. Tamil Nadu also deployed 500 electricity-department personnel in 25 teams for the same purpose.

Air travel was disrupted: at least 19 domestic flights were cancelled at Vijayawada, Tirupati and Visakhapatnam airports, with IndiGo and Air India Express among the carriers affected. Chennai Airport cancelled eleven flights, and the Airports Authority of India advised passengers to check airline status.

The state of Tamil Nadu declared an orange alert for Chennai, closed schools and halted fishing operations along the coast. Similar alerts and port warnings were issued in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, with storm-surge warnings of up to five feet for coastal districts.

Officials continue to monitor the situation and have set up emergency helplines for cyclone-related assistance.