Cyclone Montha Batters Andhra and Odisha, Leaves One Dead and Thousands Displaced

Cyclone Montha roared ashore on the eastern coast on Tuesday night, making a fierce landfall in Andhra Pradesh between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam, near Kakinada. Packing wind speeds of over 100 kmph and relentless sheets of rain, the storm tore through coastal towns, uprooted trees, snapped power lines and triggered sea waves rising up to 10 feet.

The season’s first major cyclone struck as a severe cyclonic storm around 7:30 pm, with the landfall process continuing for nearly four hours. Highways were blocked by fallen trees, power poles were bent and twisted by the wind, and communication lines were severely disrupted. Rescue and emergency teams struggled through near-zero visibility and torrential rain to restore road connectivity and reach stranded residents.

Tragedy was reported in Makanapalem village of Mamidikuduru mandal, where a woman lost her life after a tree collapsed onto her house amid the storm’s fury. Authorities have begun damage assessment as heavy rainfall continues to lash the region, raising fears of flooding and storm surge in low-lying coastal belts.

Across the border in Odisha, Cyclone Montha’s outer bands lashed Ganjam and Gajapati districts with torrential rain and wind speeds reaching up to 100 kmph. Roads were blocked and trees were uprooted in several areas, disrupting connectivity. While no casualties have been reported so far, landslides triggered by the heavy rainfall cut off key routes in R Udayagiri, Parlakhemundi, Huma and Kashipur, hampering movement and relief operations.

Sea Turns Violent in Kakinada, Submerging Homes and Shattering Coastal Roads

The sea turned ferocious along the Uppada coast in Kakinada district, inundating homes and ripping apart stretches of the coastal road. Police were forced to shut down the Kakinada–Uppada beach road after powerful waves breached embankments and surged inland. As the cyclone’s eye moved across the coast, thousands of residents took refuge in relief shelters, bracing for the impact. More than 10,000 people—mostly from fishing communities—were evacuated from 65 villages across 12 coastal mandals in Andhra Pradesh before landfall.

Kakinada district collector S Shan Mohan said two NDRF teams and one SDRF unit have been deployed on the ground, supported by 200 trained swimmers and 140 boats. “Helipads have been kept ready to airlift people from submerged areas as and when required,” he said. Over 12,000 people have taken shelter across 76 cyclone relief camps, while nearly 1,000 head of cattle were shifted to higher ground.

Air connectivity was also hit, with eight flights cancelled at Rajahmundry Airport, disrupting services to Tirupati, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Mumbai.

Odisha steps up evacuation, focuses on ‘zero casualty’ plan

In neighbouring Odisha, the state government activated over 2,000 cyclone shelters and mobilised 158 emergency response teams—including five NDRF units, 30 ODRAF teams and 123 fire service units—for rescue and relief operations. Chief Minister Mohan Majhi reviewed the preparedness and said 11,000 vulnerable people have already been evacuated under the state’s “zero casualty” mission.

“Another 30,000 people could be shifted to safety if conditions worsen,” he added.

Deputy Chief Minister K.V. Singhdeo said preliminary reports indicate widespread crop damage and assured financial assistance once district assessment reports are submitted within a week.

IMD warns of continuing impact

India Meteorological Department (IMD) Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said Cyclone Montha’s impact will continue through Wednesday, bringing heavy to extremely heavy rainfall over south Odisha, before weakening over Chhattisgarh. Wind speeds of up to 80 kmph are expected as the system moves inland.

Regional IMD chief Manorama Mohanty added that rainfall intensity will begin to ease from Friday, though scattered showers may continue in interior Odisha on Thursday.

Also Read: Landfall Process of Cyclone Montha Has Started: IMD Warns Next 4 Hours ‘Critical’