Odisha and Andhra Pradesh declared holidays for educational institutions in several districts and continued evacuations as Cyclone Murasu battered parts of the two states. The storm weakened into a cyclonic storm on Tuesday afternoon as it moved over South Coastal Andhra Pradesh.Murasu moved north-northwestwards at 7 kmph in the six hours up to 2.30 pm and weakened into a cyclonic storm over the same region, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in an official release.“Severe cyclonic storm Murasu weakened into a cyclonic storm over South Coastal Andhra Pradesh,” it said, adding that the weather system was located 40 km west-northwest of Bapatla, 60 km north of Ongole and 80 km southwest of Vijayawada. The maximum sustained wind speed was 80-90 kmph, gusting up to 100 kmph at 2.30 pm. “The cyclonic storm is very likely to continue to move north-northwestwards and weaken into a deep depression (wind speed reaching 55-65 kmph (and) gusting to 75 kmph) by midnight of today,” the weather department said.Explained | From naming to intensity, decoding the science of cyclonesAt least two people died in cyclone-related incidents in Andhra Pradesh, an official said on Tuesday. Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) Managing Director Prakhar Jain said 12,230 people were being sheltered in rehabilitation centres.Preliminary estimates put the damage at Rs 344 crore, with standing crops over 52,459 hectares damaged by heavy rain. A total of 312 houses were damaged, while the government was actively monitoring 814 minor irrigation tanks and had placed 776 on high alert, Jain added.Rain battered parts of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. In Andhra Pradesh, where the cyclone made landfall, heavy rain was reported in Prakasam, Nellore, Bapatla and NTR districts as the storm moved inland. Rain is expected to continue for another two days.Hundreds of trees were uprooted in Nellore, Prakasam and Bapatla districts, and several low-lying areas inundated. Electricity department officials, however, reported no disruption to power supply, with electricity poles appearing to have withstood the storm.Story continues below this adAnticipating possible landslides due to heavy rain, authorities moved residents of low-lying areas in Bapatla and NTR districts to shelters overnight. At least 150 pregnant women and elderly people in the two districts were shifted to hospitals and primary health centres, where they will remain until the rains subside, officials said.Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu briefed Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the impact of the cyclone. Earlier, he had held a teleconference with district collectors and officials at 3.30 am to review the situation. Between 8.30 am on Monday and the same time on Tuesday, Bapatla recorded 222.4 mm of rain, followed by Narasapur (198.6 mm) and Ongole (120.2 mm).Meanwhile, Odisha’s southern districts witnessed light rainfall on Tuesday, even as the state government asked district collectors in the region to remain prepared to handle any adverse weather conditions, a minister said. “We hope the situation will not be adverse. Four IAS officers — two in Ganjam, and one each in Gajapati and Kandhamal districts — have been deployed with full powers as additional special relief commissioners,” Odisha Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said.The state government has shifted more than 1.65 lakh people to safety and deployed disaster response teams in five southern districts in view of an IMD forecast of heavy rain and gusty winds. As many as 592 permanent and temporary shelters are operational across these districts, officials said.Story continues below this adAnganwadi centres and schools have been closed on Tuesday and Wednesday in some southern districts. Over 300 teams of disaster response forces, including the National Disaster Response Force, Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force and fire services, remain deployed in vulnerable areas, officials said.Odisha Chief Secretary Anu Garg said officials had geared up relief and restoration work in the southern districts after Cyclone Arnab wreaked havoc in the region. Each affected family was being provided 50 kg of rice and Rs 2,500, she said.The continuing threat of landslides has also kept Odisha’s disaster response machinery on alert. The state government has stepped up multi-agency search and rescue operations at Gidipabali village on the Ganjam-Kandhamal border, where 12 people went missing after a massive rain-triggered landslide during Cyclone Arnab last week. Two bodies have been recovered so far, leaving 10 people missing.The dead have been identified as Salman Pradhan (29) and Rabi Mallick (52), of Gidipabali village. Their bodies were recovered on Sunday, Sarangi said.Story continues below this adOdisha Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said the operation under Bhanjanagar block in Ganjam district entered its fourth day on Tuesday. A total of 157 personnel from the NDRF, ODRAF, Railways and Fire Services, along with 25 local volunteers, were engaged in the operation.Ground-penetrating radar and other specialised equipment are being used to trace the missing, while teams are also using explosives to remove huge boulders that have hampered the search, Director General of Fire Services S Sarangi said.— With PTI inputs