NEW DELHI, October 12 (RIA Novosti) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a Crisis Management committee meeting to discuss the damage caused by a tropical cyclone Hudhud in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha states.
"We had a meeting of crisis management. Chief Secretaries of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha were also present. Our goal is to be in touch with affected population in order to help them. Prime Minister is also in touch," Cabinet Secretary Ajit Seth told reporters after the meeting of crisis management team.
So far, two people died after the tree fell following heavy winds, and one person died as the building wall collapsed.
After the landfall caused by cyclone Hudhud in the city of Visakhapatnam, many houses around the area have been severely damaged. One of the major highways has been blocked by fallen trees. Several train routes have been changed.
According to the sources from Visakhapatnam, wall of District Magistrate's office has collapsed due to heavy rain and gusty wind.
National Disaster Relief Fund has sent additional teams to Vishakhapatnam to help in rescue operations.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has arrived in Vishakhapatnam, and will stay there for two to three days to monitor the rescue and relief operations.
The authorities are currently making preparations to deal with the Hudhud cyclone in another coastal state of Odisha.
"So far, 67,752 people have been evacuated to safe shelters. More people are being evacuated. We are taking all the precautions so as to minimize the damage to life and property," Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said on Sunday.
Hudhud is the strongest tropical cyclone of 2014 within the North Indian Ocean. It originated from a low pressure area in the Andaman Sea on October 6 and is currently threatening the eastern coast of India. The cyclone has the wind speeds of 215 km/h (130 mph).
