Power supply cut to coastal areas; RTC withdraws services

Heavy rains caused by Cyclone Phethai battered most of Srikakulam district on Monday, causing much distress in a region that is yet to fully recover from the destruction caused by Cyclone Titli in mid-October.

Life was thrown out of gear as rough weather prevailed till Monday evening, with electricity supply being cut off to several parts along the coast. Power supply was cut to parts of Srikakulam town, Tekkali, Itchapuram and Amadalavalasa among others. APEPDCL Superintending Engineer Deva Prasad said power supply would be restored at the earliest.

Officials were relieved as there was no loss of life or extensive damage to property.

Meanwhile, APSRTC withdrew bus services to many places due to roads suffering damage in remote areas and lack of occupancy.

Skies open up

The district received 249.2 mm of rainfall on Monday while the average rainfall stood at 6.6 mm. Among the 13 divisions of Palakonda, Vangara received 44.8 mm of rainfall while Vangara received 20.4 mm. Regidi Amadalavalasa received 14.8 mm rainfall.

Out of 13 mandals in Srikakulam division, Ranasthalam received 11.2 mm rainfall.

In Tekkali division, Kotabommali received 5.8 mm and Jalumuru received 5.2 mm of rainfall.

The other 10 mandals received rainfall ranging between 2 and 4 mm. The district headquarters received 6.6 mm of rainfall between 8.30 am and 4 pm. The downpour continued till late evening in Srikakulam town, where life came to a grinding halt as all shops, establishments, theatres and banks remained closed.

Rivers in spate

Srikakulam District Collector K. Dhananjaya Reddy and Joint Collector K.V.N. Chakradhar Babu asked officials be on alert for the next two days as there was a possibility of floods in the Vamsadhara and Nagavali rivers due to the heavy rains.

Vamsadhara Irrigation Circle Superintending Engineer M. Surender Reddy said all rivers in the region would receive heavy inflows beginning from Tuesday afternoon.