Cyclone Hudhud: Trail of destruction and six dead in AP, Odisha; Visakhapatnam worst affected

Visakhapatnam/Bhubaneswar: After Cyclone Hudhud pounded at the eastern seaboard of India, hitting Visakhapatnam the hardest, the storm - less intense now - is moving inland and Chhattisgarh is geared up to deal with the fierce weather unleashed.

In the Bastar region of the state, educational institutes have been ordered to remain shut on Monday.

After cyclone Hudhud made landfall in Andhra Pradesh yesterday afternoon, the southern part of Chhattisgarh has been experiencing rain and strong winds, however, despite the inclement weather there are no reports of any serious damage in the state as of yet.

As the weather continues to be rough in Chhattisgarh after the storm in Andhra and Odisha, alerts have been issued to people about staying indoors

The state-level sports meet in Chhattisgarh, which was slated to be held on Oct. 14, has been put off in view of the storm.

The Cyclone yesterday, when it hit the coastal districts of Andhra and Odisha, left six people dead and a trail of destruction behind it.

The high velocity winds battered Visakhapatnam, where the severe storm made landfall, with speeds over 200 kmph. Also, normal life was thrown out of gear in Vizianagaram and East Godavari districts after the cyclone downed power and communication lines and closed roads and railways.

A little over four lakh people - about 250,000 in four districts of AP and 156,000 in nine districts of Odisha - were evacuated to relief camps and more will be shifted to safer places depending upon water levels.

The Railways had cancelled 58 trains and diverted 50 trains on the Vizag route in view of the situation.