Cyclone Montha’s Wrath: A Chronicle of Resilience as 76,000 Seek Shelter on Andhra’s Battered Coast 

Cyclone Montha, a Severe Cyclonic Storm that made landfall near Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, on October 28, 2025, unleashed powerful winds and heavy rains, forcing the evacuation of nearly 76,000 people to over 800 relief camps in a massive state-led operation aimed at achieving zero casualties.

With communication towers fortified, transport suspended, and emergency teams deployed, Andhra braced for hours of intense fury that left behind uprooted trees, power outages, and coastal erosion.

Though neighboring states like Odisha and Tamil Nadu also faced heavy rain and alerts, the immediate human toll remained low thanks to timely preparedness.

However, the aftermath revealed extensive agricultural devastation—over 1.7 lakh hectares of crops lost—posing long-term economic challenges. Cyclone Montha stands as both a testament to India’s growing disaster readiness and a sobering reminder of the escalating toll of climate-driven storms.

Cyclone Montha’s Wrath: A Chronicle of Resilience as 76,000 Seek Shelter on Andhra’s Battered Coast 

The skies over the Bay of Bengal, often a cradle of tempests, gave birth to another on October 28, 2025. Christened ‘Montha’—a name from Thailand meaning a beautiful, fragrant flower—this system belied its gentle name with a ferocious intensity. As the Severe Cyclonic Storm Montha began its landfall process near Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, it wasn’t just a meteorological event; it was a test of preparedness, a story of displacement, and a stark reminder of nature’s overwhelming power. 

For the nearly 76,000 people huddled in relief camps across coastal Andhra, the name ‘Montha’ will forever be associated with a night of howling winds, uprooted trees, and the anxious wait for dawn. This is the story of that night, pieced together from the real-time updates, the official bulletins, and the human drama that unfolded. 

The Approach: A State Braces for Impact 

For days, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had tracked the system’s evolution from a deep depression into a cyclonic storm and finally into a Severe Cyclonic Storm. The projections were precise and grim: landfall was imminent between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam, with the eye of the storm poised to cross near Kakinada. The IMD issued Red and Orange alerts across 23 districts, warning of wind speeds gusting up to 110 km/h and the threat of “extremely heavy” rainfall. 

The state machinery, under the directive of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, shifted into high gear. The goal was unequivocal: zero casualties. This ambition set in motion a massive logistical undertaking. 

• Mass Evacuation: The most critical step was moving people out of harm’s way. Door-to-door campaigns, aided by public address systems, urged residents in low-lying and coastal villages to relocate. The effort was monumental, culminating in the evacuation of 75,968 individuals to over 800 relief camps. These shelters were stocked with essential supplies, and 219 medical camps were established to handle any emergencies. 

• Infrastructure Fortification: Understanding that communication is the backbone of disaster management, the government installed 81 wireless towers to ensure network stability. A small army of machinery was deployed: 1,447 earthmovers, 321 drones for damage assessment, and 1,040 chainsaws were positioned strategically to clear debris the moment it was safe. 

• Transportation Shutdown: In a decisive move, the government banned all vehicular movement across seven coastal districts from the evening of October 28 until the next morning. Simultaneously, the South Central Railway cancelled, rescheduled, or diverted 160 train services, primarily on the critical Visakhapatnam-Vijayawada route, to prevent passengers from being stranded. 

Landfall: Hours of Fury 

As evening descended on October 28, the landfall process began. The IMD confirmed it would be a prolonged event, lasting three to four hours. The cyclone, churning north-northwestwards, began unleashing its full fury. 

The visuals from the ground were telling. In Manginapudi Beach, near Machilipatnam, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) was already on the scene, clearing trees that had toppled onto roads, one of which leaned precariously on a live electric pole. In Kakinada, the Uppada beach road was damaged and closed, while a flex board crashing onto a 33kV power line plunged Machilipatnam town into a widespread blackout. 

The most immediate danger, besides the wind, was the sea itself. The IMD had warned of a storm surge of about one meter above the astronomical tide. In Podampeta village, this prediction became a terrifying reality as high tidal waves eroded the shoreline, damaging properties perilously close to the water’s edge. Great Danger Signal No. 10, the highest alert for ports, was hoisted at Kakinada Port. 

The Ripple Effect: A Region in the Grips of the Storm 

While Andhra Pradesh bore the brunt, Cyclone Montha’s influence stretched far and wide. 

• Odisha on High Alert: Neighbouring Odisha, under Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, was not taking any chances. The state evacuated over 2,500 people in Ganjam district alone and pre-deployed 123 fire and disaster response teams. Southern districts like Gajapati, Koraput, and Malkangiri were under a Red Warning, bracing for heavy rainfall and potential landslides. Visuals from Chilika Lake’s Kalijai Island showed the lake waters churning violently. 

• Rainfall Reaches the South and East: Tamil Nadu, particularly Chennai, experienced heavy pre-monsoon showers influenced by the cyclone’s outer bands. The IMD also issued a heavy rainfall alert for several districts of West Bengal, forecasting that the weakening system would bring widespread rain and thunderstorms until October 31. 

The Hidden Crisis: Beyond the Immediate Damage 

As the storm began to weaken into a cyclonic storm after landfall, the focus shifted from survival to assessment. The initial reports hinted at a significant, quiet crisis—the agricultural devastation. 

According to preliminary estimates from the Chief Minister’s Office, standing crops over 38,000 hectares and horticulture crops across a staggering 1.38 lakh hectares had been destroyed. This agricultural catastrophe represents not just immediate financial ruin for thousands of farmers but also a longer-term threat to the region’s food security and economic stability. The state government had stockpiled 865 tonnes of animal fodder, a move that now seemed prescient. 

The Science Behind the Storm: Why ‘Montha’ and What’s Next? 

The naming of cyclones is a systematic process managed by the World Meteorological Organization to ensure clear and efficient communication. ‘Montha’ was Thailand’s contribution to the rotating list for the North Indian Ocean, a name that will now be retired after its use in this destructive event. 

Cyclones like Montha are fueled by the warm waters of the Bay of Bengal, a notorious hotbed for such storms. The IMD’s accurate tracking and the government’s subsequent actions underscore a critical evolution in India’s disaster management—moving from a reactive to a proactive stance. The activation of cell broadcast alerts by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), sending warnings directly to millions of mobile phones, is a testament to this technological leap. 

A Test Passed, But at a Cost 

In the cold light of dawn on October 29, the assessment of Cyclone Montha is twofold. On one hand, the human toll was miraculously minimal in the immediate term, a direct result of meticulous planning, timely evacuations, and seamless coordination between state and central agencies. The effort to move 76,000 people to safety in a matter of days is a monumental achievement in disaster risk reduction. 

On the other hand, the path to recovery is long. The destroyed crops, the damaged infrastructure, the shattered livelihoods—these are the battles that remain. The story of Cyclone Montha is not just about the hours of its landfall, but about the weeks and months of rebuilding that lie ahead. It is a stark lesson in the new normal of climate-influenced extreme weather, a lesson in resilience written in the winds and rains of a severe cyclonic storm.