Kothapatnam braces for Cyclone Murasu: 400 boats hauled ashore, pregnant women moved to safety
Fishermen in Kothapatnam, a coastal village about 18 km from Ongole in Andhra Pradesh, spent Monday hauling nearly 400 boats ashore as Cyclone Murasu approached, tying them securely with ropes so they would not be swept away by strong winds and rising waves.
The sea remained relatively calm through the morning but tides rose after 5 p.m., a change that added to the anxiety of residents living along the shoreline.
Vallabhuni Venkata Rao, a fisherman, said the community had brought almost the entire fleet to land as a precaution. Moving the boats took close to a full day, he said, and each vessel was lashed down along the shore.
The village, which is usually quiet, was busy through the day with boats being pulled up the beach and equipment secured. Fishing operations have been suspended as the sea turns rough.
Although the State government had arranged cyclone shelters in the village, most residents chose to remain in their homes. Only families living in poorly maintained houses moved to the relief centres, with the movement towards the shelters gathering pace around 7 p.m. A resident said the shelters were proving helpful during a difficult time.
Police personnel made announcements through the day to alert people to the approaching system, and a National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team reached Kothapatnam to assist with emergency operations.
T. Narayana, Special Officer for Kothapatnam, said seven pregnant women had been shifted to Ongole as a precaution. Recalling the difficulties faced during Cyclone Montha last year, he said a pregnant woman had to be evacuated to a hospital in Ongole after floodwaters disrupted road connectivity to the village.
Kothapatnam is located downstream of several canals and receives excess rainwater flowing in from surrounding areas, which makes it vulnerable to flooding during heavy rain, he said.
The village's exposure to both storm surge from the sea and water flowing in from inland is a recurring concern for officials during the October–December cyclone season, when weather systems forming over the Bay of Bengal frequently move towards the Andhra Pradesh coast.
Officials have been urging residents to keep listening to public announcements and to move to shelters if conditions worsen. The district administration has positioned relief material and personnel in the area, and residents said they were watching the sea and the skies closely as the night progressed.
Fishermen in the village said they would assess the damage to their boats and nets only after the weather clears, and that they would not venture into the sea until authorities give the go-ahead.
