Even as the cyclone-battered Ongole town is limping back to normality, the heavy rain received in the last two days, has made rivulets like Gundlakamma, Addavagu, Pothurajukalva swollen.
Addanki received the highest rainfall of 522 mm followed by Maddipadu 510 mm, Kothapatnam 258 mm and Ongole 142 mm in the last 24 hours. Three irrigation tanks suffered breaches.
People in several villages like Maddiralapadu, Chevella, Karavadi, Gundayapalem, Chintala were marooned on Friday.
Minister for Mines Balineni Srinivasa Reddy, who reviewed the situation here on Friday, directed the officials to restore power supply in the town by evening and start enumeration work to assess damages to houses and crops.
Preliminary reports indicate that mango crop on 15,000 acres has suffered heavy damage in Ulavapadu area and Transco suffered a loss of about Rs. two crore.
About 28,000 people were provided shelter in 63 relief camps opened at different places in the district. In Ongole itself, 11,000 people were sheltered in 11 camps. Mr. Srinivasa Reddy visited the camp near Market centre where people of Balaram colony were given shelter.
The victims swarmed the Minister and complained that the officials had left them high and dry after shifting them to the relief centre. They told the Minister that they would return home if provided rice and kerosene.
As several villages were found inundated due to irregular constructions by two private organisations, district Collector Kantilal Dande directed the revenue officials to demolish the constructions.
A 30-member team of National Disaster Response Force has reached Ongole.
APSRTC operated 524 out of its normal 655 services in the district. Buses could not be run between Ongole and Chirala as Gundlakamma and Nallavagu were overflowing the causeways.
It may take three or four days to restore services in the sector. Additional buses are being operated towards Vijayawada and Tirupati to clear the traffic held up for the last two days.
