Cyclone Montha Batters Andhra Coast, Odisha Braces for Heavy Rains with Minimal Direct Hit

Storm Makes Landfall Near Narsapuram

The very severe cyclonic storm Montha made landfall near Narsapuram in Andhra Pradesh around 7 PM on Tuesday, bringing with it winds of 90–100 kmph, gusting up to 110 kmph, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The landfall process lasted nearly five hours, causing torrential rain and storm surges that inundated low-lying areas along the Machilipatnam, Kakinada, and Nellore coasts.

Powerful waves surged as far as 500 metres inland, uprooting trees and damaging homes. However, the storm eventually changed its trajectory, sparing Odisha a direct hit that could have led to far greater destruction.

Heavy Rains Lash Southern Odisha

Even though Odisha avoided the storm’s eye, its southern districts bore the brunt of heavy rainfall and strong winds. Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati, and Ganjam recorded intense showers accompanied by gusty winds.
Gajapati emerged as the worst-affected district, where hill slopes caved in and several landslides were reported.

The IMD has issued a red alert for Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Koraput, Kalahandi, and Rayagada, predicting wind speeds of 50–60 kmph and heavy rain.
An orange warning has also been sounded for Nuapada, Bolangir, Bargarh, Sonepur, Sambalpur, Boudh, Kandhamal, Gajapati, and Ganjam.

The weakened system is now moving northward toward Chhattisgarh and is expected to lose intensity further by Wednesday morning.

Evacuations and Preparedness

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi chaired a high-level review meeting at the Lok Seva Bhawan, where he reiterated that “zero casualty” remains the state’s primary objective.

According to official sources, 17,817 people from eight vulnerable districts have been evacuated to 2,048 shelters.
Additionally, 2,198 pregnant women have been shifted to nearby health centres as a precautionary measure.

Rescue and response teams have been strategically deployed:

• ODRAF: 30 teams

• NDRF: 5 teams

• Fire Service: 123 teams

The Special Relief Commissioner’s office confirmed that schools and anganwadis in affected areas will remain closed till October 30.

Port and Fishermen Warnings

The IMD has advised fishermen not to venture into the sea along the Odisha coast till October 30, and over the west-central and southeast Bay of Bengal till Wednesday.
Ports have raised cautionary signals — Signal No. 3 at Gopalpur and Signal No. 2 at Paradip and other minor ports.

Majhi Credits “Divine Grace” and Prepared Governance

Speaking after the review, Chief Minister Majhi said that the minimal damage caused by Cyclone Montha was “divine grace” and a result of meticulous preparedness based on lessons learned from past cyclones like Dana.

He emphasized that post-storm crop damage assessments would be completed swiftly to ensure timely compensation for affected farmers. “Our proactive evacuation and disaster management strategy have paid off,” he remarked.