Chittoor district witnessed continuous thundershowers on Wednesday under the influence of severe cyclonic storm Nivar, prompting the officials to maintain a strict vigil on water bodies for possible breaches.
Collector Bharat Narayan Gupta identified 17 mandals as the most vulnerable to the impact of Nivar. The eastern mandals of Varadaiahpalem, Nagalapuram, Satyavedu, KVB Puram, Nagari, bordering Tamil Nadu, are expected to bear the brunt of the cyclone, as they witnessed high velocity winds and incessant rains on Wednesday.
Evacuation
Superintendent of Police (Tirupati Urban) Avula Ramesh Reddy instructed teams in the eastern belt of Srikalahasti to evacuate people, especially those living in dilapidated buildings, tin-roofed or thatched huts to safe zones in the wake of gales. The police have been instructed to stay in touch with their revenue counterparts to get regular inputs on the situation.
“Rescue teams are in place in every police sub-division, apart from essential items such as life jackets, torch lights and long ropes,” said . In case of emergency, people can contact 100 or the WhatsApp number 8099999977 for immediate relief.
As many as 32 NDRF and 21 SDRF teams have been kept on the standby in Tirupati to take up relief measures in case of exigencies.
Even as the officials declared holiday for schools on Wednesday and Thursday, the announcement came late on Wednesday. This made the teachers and students to face hardships while returning home.
In Chittoor, Superintendent of Police S. Senthil Kumar, along with Deputy Superintendents of Police N. Sudhakar Reddy (Chittoor) and T.D.Yashwanth (Puttur), inspected Krishnapuram irrigation project near Karvetinagaram and monitored the precautionary measures.
Helpline
People can dial 100 or reach Chittoor police on WhatsApp at 9440900005 for support.
Special Correspondent from Tirumala adds: The abode of Lord Venkateswara experienced incessant rain on Wednesday.
Devotees reaching the temple for darshan and those returning back to their cottages after the worship were subjected to hardship. The TTD alerted its engineering wing to monitor the situation at certain points on the second ghat road which are prone to landslips.
