Amaravati, Sep 25 (PTI) Three teams of National Disaster Response Force and one of SDRF have been positioned in north coastal Andhra districts for rescue and relief operations as cyclonic storm Gulab is expected to cross the Bay of Bengal coast between Visakhapatnam and Gopalpur (in Odisha) on Sunday evening.

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Authorities in Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts have prepared a plan of action to possibly shift about 86,000 families from low-lying areas to cyclone relief shelters, a government release here said on Saturday.

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"The State Emergency Operations Centre is constantly monitoring the situation while the District Emergency Operation Centres have also been activated with all communication systems. Collectors of the three north coastal Andhra districts have been asked to take all required precautionary measures in view of the cyclonic storm," the release said.

Two teams of NDRF have been deployed in Srikakulam district, which is expected to have more impact of the cyclone, and another in Visakhapatnam. An SDRF team has also been positioned in Visakhapatnam for emergency response.

The state government said the district Collectors have been specifically instructed to evacuate vulnerable families to safer places even at short notice.

The State Disaster Management Authority has warned fishermen in these districts not to venture into the sea till September 27.

Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy enquired about the situation with his secretaries and asked them to monitor the situation constantly and take required steps as heavy rains could be expected under the impact of the cyclone.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)