P.V.Anandpadmanabhan

Hudhud relief operations began on Monday in Andhra Pradesh's Visakhapatnam city and other coastal areas, post severe cyclonic storm 'Hudhud' that made the landfall on Sunday afternoon, leaving a trail of destruction and killing six people.

With the intensity of gales coming down and rains receding in the cyclone-hit areas people stepped out of their houses, only to find that the scale of devastation is much higher than anticipated.

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams with personnel from various government departments began clearing uprooted trees, electricity and communication poles and hoardings from roads.

Rescue systems put in place well in advance helped minimizing the tolls of human lives, the cyclone disrupted electricity and communication networks, paralyzed transport and damaged over thousands of acres of crops.

Vizag, bore the brunt of Hudhud, which hit its coast with the speed of 185 kmph. Hundreds of vehicles parked on roads were damaged while heavy rains inundated few colonies.

Airport, railways and bus stations were also badly affected in Vizag, which remained without electricity for the second consecutive day. With the collapsing of communication networks, mobile phones are non-functional here.

The National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) is monitoring the situation and taking necessary steps on relief operations