Severe cyclonic storm Murasu was centred at 8:30 pm IST on Monday near latitude 14.9°N and longitude 80.6°E over the west-central Bay of Bengal — about 60 km east of Kavali, 80 km northeast of Nellore, 90 km southeast of Ongole and 110 km south of Bapatla — the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in an hourly bulletin issued on Monday night, reported by ANI. The system had moved north-northwestwards at 12 kmph over the previous six hours, holding an intensity of 100–110 kmph gusting to 120 kmph near its centre.
Source: ANI via DevDiscourse — IMD hourly bulletin
The IMD said the storm is expected to cross the south Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Narsapur, close to Ongole, between 11:30 pm on November 2 and 4 am on November 3, and cautioned that a storm surge of about 1.0 to 1.5 metres above astronomical tides is very likely to inundate low-lying stretches of South Coastal Andhra Pradesh during landfall. This is the latest development in a day on which Awaaz Punjab has already reported the planned evacuation of around 30,000 people from vulnerable coastal areas, the cancellation of flights across Andhra airports and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu's preparedness review.
Source: ANI via DevDiscourse — IMD hourly bulletin
On the ground, the National Disaster Response Force has deployed 37 teams across five states for the cyclone, with the primary focus on coastal Andhra Pradesh, where 13 teams have been stationed, officials said, according to PTI. Speaking to ANI, NDRF Deputy Inspector General (Operations/PRO) Mohsen Shahedi said high-level stakeholder meetings had been held to coordinate preparedness — convened by the National Disaster Management Authority on Sunday evening and by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Monday — and that the deployment plan had been worked out around Andhra Pradesh. Earlier on Monday, three NDRF teams of 90 personnel from the 4th Battalion near Arakkonam in Tamil Nadu were also rushed towards Nellore, Prakasam and Markapuram.
Source: PTI via The Hindu BusinessLine live updates; ANI via DevDiscourse
Rain had already begun lashing the coast by Monday evening. IMD Director P.L.N. Murthy in Visakhapatnam told IANS the storm lay over the west-central Bay of Bengal, and rainfall figures reported for the evening included 30.4 mm in Kakinada, 12.4 mm in Tirupati, 8.7 mm in Kavali and 6.8 mm in Bapatla. Extremely heavy rainfall was forecast at isolated places in Bapatla, Prakasam, Nellore, Chittoor and Tirupati districts on Monday night, with heavy rain expected across 125 mandals on Tuesday, according to updates attributed to the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister's Office.
Source: IANS and ANI via The Daily Jagran live updates
The Andhra Pradesh government's Real Time Governance Society has rolled out a dedicated grievance-reporting mechanism for people affected by Cyclone Murasu through its 'Mana Mitra' WhatsApp Governance platform, according to an official release reported on Monday. Residents in the landfall zone should follow IMD and district administration updates and move to designated cyclone shelters when directed.
Murasu is the second severe storm to strike this coast within days, following Cyclone Arnab last week. With landfall only hours away, officials have directed district administrations to remain vigilant and ensure there is no loss of life; further IMD hourly bulletins and disaster-management updates are awaited through the night.