Cyclone Hudhud: AP's coastal districts on high alert

Andhra Pradesh has been put on high alert in view of the Hudhud cyclone threat to the Bay of Bengal coast.

The cyclonic storm is expected to cross the Bay of Bengal coast on October 12 between Visakhapatnam and Odisha's Gopalpur.

Authorities in north coastal districts of Srikakulam, Vijayanagaram and Visakhapatnam and also in East Godavari and West Godavari districts sounded an alert.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu put off his scheduled visit to Srikakulam district tomorrow where was supposed to take part in a 'Janmabhoomi' programme. Srikakulam Collector Gaurav Uppal cancelled leaves of all government staff and put them on high alert as the district borders Odisha. Srikakulam bore the brunt of the cyclone Phailin on October 13 last year.

According to an IMD bulletin on Thursday morning, the severe cyclonic storm lay centered about 750 km southeast of Gopalpur and east-southeast of Visakhapatnam. As a result, heavy to very heavy rainfall is also forecast at a few places over east Godavari, Visakhapatnam, Vijayanagaram and Srikakulam districts of north coastal Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha from Saturday evening.