Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday said that he would visit Srikakulam district and participate in the relief activity, as severe cyclonic storm Titli wreaked havoc in the state's north coastal region.
Taking to Twitter, Naidu said, “I will personally look after the relief and rehabilitation works.” Asking everyone to brace themselves for the cyclone, he said that if there was a crisis in any region, everyone should come forward and partake in relief activities.
తిత్లీ తుపాన్ భీభత్సం సృష్టించక ముందే సహాయక చర్యలలో పాల్గొనేందుకు నేడు శ్రీకాకుళం వెళ్తున్నాను. సహాయ, పునరావాస చర్యలను దగ్గరుండి పర్యవేక్షిస్తాను. ఏ ప్రాంతంలో విపత్తు వచ్చినా ప్రతి ఒక్కరు మానవతా ధృక్పథంతో స్పందించి ఆదుకోవాలని విజ్ఞప్తి చేస్తున్నాను.
— N Chandrababu Naidu (@ncbn) October 11, 2018
On Wednesday night and through the day on Thursday, Naidu held a teleconference with the concerned Collectors and other officials to take necessary action in order to minimise potential damage that could be caused.
The state government said that it was tracking the weather and also monitoring relief and rescue operations in real-time.
Speaking to local reporters at the Real Time Governance Society's (RTGS) office at Andhra Pradesh's temporary secretariat at Velagapudi, the society's CEO Ahmed Babu said, “We have been tracking the cyclone since the last four days and we are getting updates on its speed, direction, movement, strength and power, accurately and frequently.”
"The administration was prepared, but we have been able to minimize the damages effectively. We have sent out warnings via SMS as well, especially to fishermen, asking them not to venture out into sea. We managed to hold the boats at the harbour itself as well," he added.
When asked about the disruption of the electricity grid, he said, “We switched off the power deliberately to reduce loss. People were also informed of this, so they got enough time to charge their phones. We spoke to four network service providers to ensure that communication stayed up. The main damage is from poles and trees falling down. We are working on clearing the roads. The Chief Minister is also personally monitoring the entire situation, which ensured that everyone was on their toes.”
He further added that people will be compensated for the damages.
"We are also crowdsourcing damage assessment. We have started a number 1100, and also opened a 'People First' mobile app, where locals can click photos of the damage to their property and send it to us. We will provide compensation," he added.
The cyclone, which made landfall between Andhra Pradesh and Odisha early on Thursday, uprooted trees, electricity poles and communication towers, and also damaged crops. Officials said five deaths were reported from Srikakulam district while three persons were killed in neighbouring Vizianagaram district. Six fishermen were among the dead.