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Indian Authorities have closed schools and evacuated thousands of people from low-lying coastal areas as the country’s eastern seaboard prepares to deal with the impact of Cyclone Montha on Tuesday.
hovering over bay of bengalMontha has intensified into a severe cyclonic storm and is expected to make landfall near the southern port city of Kakinada late Tuesday night. Andhra Pradeshthe weather office said in its latest bulletin.
The storm hovered about 160 kilometers (99 mi) southeast of Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh.
It is expected to intensify, causing winds of 90 kph to 110 kph (55-68 mph) as it moves towards the east coast of the country.
The weather office issued a so-called red alert – the highest level of weather warning – for 19 districts in Andhra Pradesh, with extremely heavy rainfall predicted. Moderate to heavy rain is also expected in the neighboring states of Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Kerala and Karnataka.
According to the state disaster officer, disaster teams in Andhra Pradesh have so far evacuated 38,000 people from low-lying areas to relief camps. The state government estimates that around 40 lakh people are in vulnerable areas and are likely to be affected by the cyclone.
State Communications Minister Nara Lokesh said in a social media post that authorities have prepared 1,906 relief camps and 364 school shelters as evacuation continues in 1,238 vulnerable villages.
schools And colleges have been ordered to remain closed till Wednesday and fishermen have been warned not to venture into the sea for fishing. Trains and flight services remained partially disrupted on Tuesday.
In Odisha, the state administration has started shifting about 32,000 people from sensitive areas to relief camps, the state disaster officer said.
Climate scientists say severe storms are becoming more frequent South AsiaGlobal warming, caused by gases warming the planet, has made them more extreme and unpredictable.
India’s eastern coast has long been at risk from cyclones, but the number of intense storms hitting the country’s coasts is increasing. 2023 was India’s deadliest cyclone season in recent years, killing 523 people and causing an estimated $2.5 billion in damage.
Tropical cyclones, called hurricanes or typhoons in other regions, are among the world’s most devastating natural disasters when they hit densely populated coastal areas.
Climate experts say the warming of the oceans is causing hurricanes to become stronger, especially near coastal areas because they draw energy from warmer waters.
“Global warming is increasing air temperatures and also warming the oceans. And if an ocean is very warm, it will supply a lot of energy to any tropical storm over the ocean,” said Akshay Deoras, a meteorologist at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom.
India, the world’s most populous country, is one of the highest emitters of planet-warming gases and is considered one of the world’s most vulnerable regions to climate impacts.
In 2024 alone, 167 disasters occurred in Asia, the most of any continent, according to the emergency incidents database maintained by Belgium’s University of Louvain. The researchers found that storms, floods, heat waves and earthquakes caused more than $32 billion in damages.
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Associated Press climate reporter Sibi Arasu contributed to this report.