NCMC reviews preparation for cyclone ‘Michaung’

NEW DELHI: The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deployed 21 teams in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry and eight additional teams have been kept in reserve in view of the impending cyclone ‘Michaung’ in the Bay of Bengal which is likely to hit some parts of southern India.

This was informed to the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC), which met here under the chairmanship of Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba, to review the preparedness of state governments and central ministries and departments for the impending cyclone, according to an official statement.

The Director General, India Meteorological Department (IMD), briefed the NCMC about the current status of cyclonic storm ‘Michaung’.

The cyclonic storm over southwest Bay of Bengal moved northwestwards with a speed of 9 kmph during past six hours and lay centred at 4.30 pm IST on Sunday over the same region near latitude 11.8 N and longitude 82.2 E, about 260 km east-southeast of Puducherry, 250 km southeast of Chennai, 380 km south-southeast of Nellore, 490 km south-southeast of Bapatla and 500 km south-southeast of Machilipatnam.

It is likely to continue to move northwestwards, intensify further and reach west-central Bay of Bengal, off south Andhra Pradesh and adjoining north Tamil Nadu coasts by Monday morning.

AGENCIES