Cyclone Michaung: Collectors review situation, direct officers to evacuate people to safety

Coastal AP Collectors review situation ahead of Cyclone Michaung; take measures to prevent loss of life, property. Collectors, DROs visit villages, ask people to follow special officers' suggestions. Command Control Room set up at Machilipatnam Collectorate; control rooms at RDO, MRO offices. West Godavari Collector directs Medical, Health and Revenue officers to shift pregnant women to hospitals. Nellore Collector asks district admin to gear up to tackle cyclone; villagers asked to shift to safer places. Prakasam Collector interacts with fishermen's families; Eluru Collector asks farmers to shift paddy stocks to mills.

Collectors of coastal districts reviewed the situation ahead of Cyclone Michaung making landfall along the Andhra Pradesh coastline, and asked officials to take measures to prevent loss of life and property as heavy rainfall was predicted in several mandals of the State.

Collectors, Joint Collectors and District Revenue Officers (DROs) visited the villages and asked the people and the farmers to follow the suggestions of the special officers.

Krishna Collector P. Raja Babu on Sunday said that special officers have been appointed for Koduru, Avanigadda, Nagayalanka, Machilipatnam, Bantumilli, Kruthivennu and Mopidevi mandals.

A Command Control Room has been set up at Machilipatnam Collectorate to monitor the cyclone round-the-clock. Besides, control rooms have been arranged at the RDO and MRO offices along the coast, Mr. Raja Babu said.

West Godavari Collector P. Prasanthi has directed the Medical and Health and Revenue officers to shift pregnant women to the nearby hospitals.

Villagers staying in low-lying areas in Elamanchili, Achanta, Narsapuram and Mogalturu mandals were asked to shift to rehabilitation centres.

Ms. Prasanthi, who toured Dagguluru, Lankalakoderu, Shivadevuni Chikkala, Ballipadu, Tillampudi and other villages in Palakol mandal, took stock of the paddy stocks dried along the roads. She asked the officers to shift the stocks to Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs) as heavy rainfall was predicted in the next 48 hours.