Andhra Ministers put power utilities on alert ahead of cyclone; 25,000 poles kept ready

Andhra Pradesh Energy Minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar and Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha on Sunday (October 25, 2026) alerted the Chairmen and Managing Directors (CMDs) of the power distribution companies (DISCOMs) and district officials to the likely impact of the cyclone brewing in the Bay of Bengal.

In a teleconference, Mr. Ravi Kumar and Ms. Anitha directed the officials to take precautionary measures in advance.

They advised the field staff to be on high alert for heavy rain and gales to meet any contingencies. Power should be restored at the earliest if the power infrastructure is damaged, they said.

The Ministers also instructed the officials to try to prevent loss of life and mitigate property damage, and to remove dangerous hoardings and billboards.

In a post on X, Ms. Anitha asked fishermen not to venture into the sea and said the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams should be ready to move people to safe areas if necessary. She asked people to stay away from beaches over the next five days and not to take selfies in hazardous areas.

Officials informed the Ministers that 25,000 poles and other essential materials had already been kept on standby and the DISCOMs were geared up to dispatch additional staff to areas expected to bear the brunt of the cyclone.

Cyclone warnings were being sent out regularly, and power supply problems could be reported on the helpline 1912, the officials added.

Utilities told to camp in vulnerable areas

In a video conference with APGenco Managing Director S. Nagalakshmi, APTransco Joint Managing Director G. Surya Sai Praveenchand, DISCOM CMDs I. Prudhvi Tej, L. Siva Sankar and P. Pulla Reddy and other top officials of the power utilities, Special Chief Secretary (Energy) K. Vijayanand directed that emergency preparedness measures be taken urgently and steps initiated to safeguard critical power supply infrastructure.

He instructed the CMDs and Directors to camp in the vulnerable areas from October 26 until the threat subsided and normal conditions were restored, and said that public safety and grid security must remain the foremost priorities. He also said leave for zonal chief engineers, superintending engineers and key technical personnel involved in disaster management operations should be restricted to ensure their availability throughout the emergency.

Mr. Praveenchand said the field-level officials were alert to the protection of transmission lines and Extra High Tension (EHT) substations and that critical transmission equipment was already being inspected.

The Special Chief Secretary directed all personnel deployed in cyclone-prone and affected areas to remain vigilant, strictly follow safety precautions and initiate restoration works without delay wherever power supply was disrupted.

Latest forecast

The system intensified into a deep depression over the east-central and adjoining south-east Bay of Bengal on Sunday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in its 3.42 p.m. bulletin. At 11.30 a.m., it was about 870 km east-southeast of Visakhapatnam, 960 km from Kakinada, 1,060 km from Machilipatnam and 1,130 km from Bapatla.

It is likely to become a cyclonic storm by early Monday (October 26), a severe cyclonic storm by the morning of October 27 and a very severe cyclonic storm by October 28. The IMD expects it to cross the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam by the forenoon of October 28, with winds of 115 to 125 kmph gusting to 140 kmph.