Tamil Nadu has sent 500 electricity department personnel and power restoration equipment to Andhra Pradesh after Cyclone Murasu damaged power infrastructure in the neighbouring state, Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister R Nirmal Kumar said on Monday.
The personnel have been organised into 25 teams and will assist Andhra Pradesh in restoring electricity supply disrupted by the severe cyclonic storm. The Tamil Nadu government has also dispatched essential equipment for the restoration work, Kumar told reporters.
The deployment followed a request from Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu for manpower and machinery to repair the electricity network. Naidu said a large number of power poles had been damaged by the cyclone and sought assistance from the Tamil Nadu government for restoring power systems. The Tamil Nadu chief minister responded positively to the request, according to the report.
The inter-state mobilisation highlights the dependence of essential urban and rural services on electricity infrastructure during a cyclone. Damage to poles and distribution networks can affect households, hospitals, water supply systems, communications and transport operations, making restoration a critical part of the immediate emergency response.
In its latest bulletin, the India Meteorological Department said Severe Cyclonic Storm Murasu was moving west-northwestwards at a speed of 14 kmph. The system was centred about 120 km east-southeast of Nellore, 140 km east-southeast of Kavali, 170 km northeast of Chennai in Tamil Nadu, 180 km southeast of Ongole and 220 km south of Machilipatnam.
The storm was forecast to cross the South Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Narsapur around midnight on November 2 and during the early morning of November 3. The IMD forecast wind speeds of 100-110 kmph, with gusts reaching 120 kmph.
The locations identified by the weather agency include several coastal districts and urban centres where electricity distribution systems may face damage from strong winds and falling poles. The restoration teams from Tamil Nadu are expected to support Andhra Pradesh’s local response as the state assesses damage and works to re-energise affected networks.
The immediate next steps are the cyclone’s landfall over the South Andhra Pradesh coast and the subsequent restoration of damaged power infrastructure by the deployed teams and state authorities.
