Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) managing director Prakhar Jain announced that the complete landfall process is expected to take another three to four hours.
As the cyclone began crossing the coast, heavy gales and rain lashed several coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh, with wind speeds reaching 90 to 100 kmph, uprooting trees and electric poles in several areas of Konaseema region and adjacent West Godavari and Krishna districts.
Strong winds triggered by the cyclone caused widespread damage in Gudivada town of Krishna district, where trees were uprooted in several areas, blocking major roads. Large trees fell near the flyover bridge, government area hospital, and along the Gudivada-Mudinapalli main road, disrupting vehicular movement.
Traffic came to a standstill on the Gudivada-Vijayawada highway after uprooted trees blocked both sides of the road. Teams from the Disaster Response and Fire Services Departments rushed to the spot and launched clearance operations using advanced machinery despite pitch-dark conditions.
Officials have advised residents in coastal areas to remain indoors and avoid travel until the storm fully weakens after crossing the coast.
Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu stayed back at the RTGS centre in the state secretariat, closely monitoring the latest developments of Cyclone Montha till late hours.
The chief minister has been in touch with the district collectors to review the current status of the cyclone. He instructed ministers to visit the cyclone-affected areas, interact with the people, and immediately implement relief measures to instil confidence among them.
He directed officials to remain vigilant throughout the night to prevent any loss of life or property. He emphasised that power supply should be restored promptly after the cyclone by repairing damaged electric poles and substations.
He further stated that he has requested the Centre to send central teams to assess the overall cyclone damage, including crop losses. Earlier, authorities had warned fishermen and residents in low-lying coastal areas to remain on high alert.
The Real-Time Governance System (RTGS) issued warnings that the cyclone impact will be severe in Krishna, Eluru, East Godavari, West Godavari, Kakinada, Dr. BR. Ambedkar Konaseema districts, and Chinturu and Rampachodavaram divisions of Alluri Sitarama Raju district.
The Andhra Pradesh government has swung into full emergency mode to mitigate the impact of the cyclone. According to official data, as many as 403 mandals across 22 districts are likely to be affected. The authorities announced that 488 control rooms and 1,204 rehabilitation centres have been set up and 75,802 people have been evacuated so far to safe shelters.
"As many as 219 medical camps have been established and 81 wireless towers installed for uninterrupted emergency communication. Besides, 1447 JCBs, cranes, and 321 drones are on standby for rescue and debris clearance, 1,040 chainsaws have been prepared to remove uprooted trees," an official statement said, adding that over 3.6 crore mobile alerts have been sent to warn the people.
Preliminary estimates suggest crop losses across 38,000 hectares of farmland and 1.38 lakh hectares of horticultural crops due to torrential rains in the last 24 hours.
The South Central Railway (SCR) has cancelled 107 train services scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday in view of passenger safety. While 70 trains scheduled for Tuesday have been cancelled, along with 36 trains for Wednesday and one train for Thursday, services via Vijayawada, Rajahmundry, Visakhapatnam, and Guntur have been severely affected. Six trains were diverted and 18 services rescheduled.
The official statement said Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has directed officials to set up emergency control rooms (war rooms) in all cyclone-affected divisions and ensure full preparedness. He emphasized continuous monitoring of train operations to avoid passenger inconvenience.
Railway stations have set up help desks to provide real-time updates, and passengers have been advised to travel only if absolutely necessary.
The cyclone's intensity has also affected air travel. As many as 36 flight services from Vijayawada Airport were cancelled on Tuesday, including Air India Express and IndiGo services. Among the suspended flights were: Vijayawada-Sharjah, Vijayawada-Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada-Bengaluru, and Vijayawada-Hyderabad flights. Only flights scheduled before 10:30am were allowed to operate.
Similarly, Rajahmundry Airport cancelled all services after 9:30am, including flights to Mumbai, Tirupati, Bengaluru, and Chennai. The Visakhapatnam Airport suspended 56 flight operations, including services to Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru.
The State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) has appealed to residents in coastal areas to stay indoors and avoid venturing out, Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea for the next three days.
The government has ordered the suspension of vehicle movement in seven districts from 8.30pm on Tuesday until 6am on Wednesday morning. District collectors and SPs have been instructed to halt traffic on roads, including national highways passing through these districts.