Cyclone Hudhud, the very severe cyclonic storm that lashed at the coastal region of Andhra Pradesh on Sunday, killed six people and left a trail of large-scale destruction, snapping power lines, uprooting trees and damaging buildings.
Blackout in Vishakhapatnam
The city of Vishakhapatnam, which bore the maximum brunt of the cyclone, will take several days to return to normalcy, as per reports. It now faces a power blackout, heavy rains and a crunch in essential supplies.
Heavy rainfall has already begun battering several states and is expected to last for at least 12 hours over Odisha, Andhra Pradesh. Five states including Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh are on alert for heavy rains.
Destruction
Electricity and communication lines are yet to be restored and schools and educational institutions will remain shut on Monday. In Vishakahapatnam, residents have been without power for more than 24 hours, and the heavy rains could delay the restoration. Power lines have also been disrupted across Odisha.
Visuals and photos that emerged from the epicentre of the storm at Vishakhapatnam shows massive destruction, as trees lay on the road and even statues and hoardings uprooted.
Vishakhapatnam airport also suffered extensive damage.
Long-term Impact
Agricultural land has been destroyed in massive scale, which could in turn affect agricultural produce in region, according to reports.
Several houses have also been damaged, which could take days before they are rebuilt.
'Natural Calamity'
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister on Sunday had requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare Cyclone Hudhud as a national calamity and had also sought a relief fund of ₹2,000 crore.
Naidu has announced a compensation of ₹5 lakh each to the families of those killed, ₹1 lakh for critically injured and ₹50,000 for other injured.
Five lakh people are still housed in relief camps in Andhra Pradesh.
Hudhud had hit the coast at the speed of 195kmph on Sunday noon, a little short of Cyclone Phailin that had struck Odisha last year.
The cyclone has now weakened to a deep depression, according to the Indian Meteorological Department.
Operation Lehar
The Indian Navy has been made the nodal agency to carry out relief and rescue operations in the aftermath of the storm, under the code, "Operation Lehar".
The Navy has readied 30 diving teams with Gemini craft and associated equipment, 20 rescue teams, four ships with medical supplies, six helicopters and two planes at Visakhapatnam.
