Cyclones and Andhra Pradesh

The history of no state is as stormy as that of Andhra Pradesh. In this century alone, the state has been pounded by 18 devastating storms causing enormous loss of life and property. The Diviseema cyclone, the worst last century, left more than 10,000 dead and ravaged property worth Rs. 175 crore in 2300 villages.

Andhra Pradesh has the longest coastline of all the states in the country. The 760 km length along the sea has laid bare the state to the fury of cyclones that have been a regular feature in the Bay of Bengal. If 1977 saw Diviseema wiped out, 1996 saw Nellore -Prakasam-Konaseema reel under the cyclones of the Bay. The disaster which hit the coast has taken a toll of thousands of lives. Millions of acres of ready-to-harvest paddy have been destroyed, horticultural plantations have been lost. It will take a generation to overcome this loss.