Cyclone Montha Aftermath: 3 Dead, 1 Lakh Displaced in Andhra Pradesh as Government Launches Relief Efforts

Cyclone Montha has weakened into a deep depression after making landfall along Andhra Pradesh's coast and moving inland toward Telangana.

In Andhra Pradesh, three fatalities have been confirmed following Cyclone Montha's landfall. Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has announced financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh for each bereaved family.

Preliminary assessments indicate extensive damage to agricultural lands, with crops affected across 87,000 hectares, impacting nearly 79,000 farmers in 1,825 villages. Additionally, 42 livestock deaths have been reported.

The Chief Minister has directed officials to restore electricity by Wednesday night and complete all road repairs by Thursday, emphasizing that negligence would result in severe consequences. On Wednesday, Naidu conducted an aerial survey and visited affected regions to personally evaluate the damage.

During his review meeting, the Chief Minister expressed strong dissatisfaction regarding waterlogging in Ongole, admonishing the Prakasam District Collector and emphasizing that such administrative failures must not occur again.

Authorities have established 1,209 relief camps currently sheltering 116,000 displaced individuals.

Cyclone Montha has affected approximately 1.8 million residents across 249 mandals, 1,434 villages, and 48 towns. The rural water supply system has suffered damages estimated at Rs 36 crore, while irrigation infrastructure damage amounts to Rs 16.45 crore. Emergency response teams had to reroute traffic on 297 flooded roads and remove 380 fallen trees. Officials safely relocated 3,175 pregnant women to secure locations and established 2,130 medical camps.

The cyclone caused significant infrastructure damage, particularly to transportation networks:

Village roads and bridges sustained damage estimated at Rs 4.86 crore.

Major government roads spanning 2,294 kilometers require extensive repairs, with costs projected at Rs 1,424 crore.

Chief Minister Naidu issued several directives to officials:

Submit comprehensive crop loss reports within five days.

Ensure food ration delivery to families in relief camps within 24 hours.

Immediately restore power supply and repair damaged roads.

Maintain rigorous sanitation standards and ensure safe drinking water availability.

Provide Rs 5 lakh compensation to families of the deceased.

Implement strict measures against administrative negligence.

On Thursday, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan visited rain-affected areas in Avanigadda, where he assessed conditions, engaged with farmers and local officials, and assured government support.