VIJAYAWADA, DEC 2  :  Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Saturday directed the officials to be on high alert given the low pressure over the Bay of Bengal developing into a cyclonic storm.

At a briefing held at the Camp Office here, the Chief Minister was informed that the cyclone is likely to cross the coast between Nellore and Machilipatnam on December 4 and head north.
District Collectors concerned and disaster management officials should be ready to take necessary relief and rescue measures to help people and restore power lines and transportation facilities in affected areas.

He told them to take steps to shift affected people from the coastal areas to safer places and arrange relief camps while maintaining enough stocks of milk, drinking water and food
On instructions of the Chief Minister, the Government has released Rs.2 crore to Tirupati district and Rs.1 crore each to SPSR Nellore, Prakasam, Bapatla, Krishna, West Godavari, Dr BR Ambedkar Konaseema and Kakinada districts for relief measures.

The depression over Southwest Bay of Bengal moved west-northwestwards with a speed of nine kmph during the past six hours and lay centred at 11-30 pm on Friday night over the same region near Latitude 10.3°N and Longitude 85.3°E, about 630 km east-southeast of Puducherry, 630 km east-southeast of Chennai, and about 800 km south-southeast of Machilipatnam, according to IMD.

The IMD report said It is likely to move west-northwestwards, intensify into a Deep Depression during the next 12 hours and further intensify into a Cyclonic Storm over Southwest Bay of Bengal by December 3.

After that, it would move northwestwards and reach near south Andhra Pradesh and adjoining north Tamilnadu coasts by 4th December forenoon. It would then move nearly northwards almost parallel and close to the south Andhra Pradesh coast and cross it between Nellore and Machilipatnam during the forenoon of December 5 as a Cyclonic Storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 80-90 kmph gusting to 100 kmph. (UNI)