Even as rains reduced in many parts of Andhra Pradesh on Sunday after causing devastation for three days, the administration has mounted relief and rehabilitation operations in affected areas.
The death toll has risen to 37 now, with five fresh deaths reported from affected districts since Saturday.
In a status note on the situation released on Sunday, State Disaster Management Commissioner Preeti Sudan
said 'relief and rescue operations have been undertaken in the affected districts'.
She said that the death toll rose to 37 by Sunday morning, with worst-affected Kurnool district accounting for 11
deaths. The remaining deaths occurred in 10 other districts due to heavy rains and flash floods caused
by a depression (storm) during June 21 to 23.
Due to incessant heavy rains for three days, losses and damages occurred to private properties and public infrastructure in the affected districts. In all, 330,179 people in 222 villages and towns were affected.
As per preliminary reports, 9,799 houses were damaged and 8,537 livestock were killed. "The district collectors have been instructed to form teams to assess the damage to the crops after the water receded," the Commissioner added.
Detailing the relief operations, the Commissioner said 66,423 people are still lodged in 62 relief camps, while others have gone back to their houses in view of improvement in situation in their areas.
The authorities distributed 533,000 food packets and 925,000 clean water sachets to people in affected areas. Also, 62 teams have been formed to conduct medical camps in affected areas.
Detailing the devastation, the Disaster Management Department Commissioner pointed out that 245 irrigation tanks were damaged in 10 districts. There had been heavy inflows into six rivers and major reservoirs, causing flash floods in Kurnool, Mahbubnagar, Prakasam and Guntur districts.
Restoration work has been taken up and the engineers have been asked to strengthen the river bunds and close the breaches to canals. Obstructions have been cleared on main trunk roads in Rayalaseema.
Efforts are on to restore electricity supply in all the affected areas. As the floodwaters started receding, the situation is returning to normalcy in the affected areas.
Meanwhile, Hyderabad Meteorological Centre duty officer said that the depression (storm) that had crossed the Andhra Pradesh coast on June 22 moved away to Marathwada region in neighbouring Maharashtra state and now lay centered close to Gujarat on Sunday morning.