With cyclone Michaung laying 20 km away from the Nellore coast by Monday morning (10.00 am), as many as nine mandals were devastated with the uprooting of trees, and electrical poles, while large swathes of paddy fields were submerged. As the cyclone is expected to make landfall at Bapatla, 130 km from Kavali, an orange alert is issued all over Nellore district, and the official machinery is put on alert.
From midnight till early morning, the mandals of Nellore and Kovvur received downpours, recording over 27 cm of rain. Vehicular movement from Nellore towards Tirupati and Vijayawada came to a grinding halt at various points on the Grand Trunk road. Officials said the Indukuripeta mandal bore the brunt of the cyclone as it severely damaged the rural roads and played havoc with the prawn farming units. The wind speed had crossed over 80 km along the coastal villages in the district, and the intensity of cold was higher in the region.
