Port Blair: Cyclone ‘Senyar’ has rapidly intensified into a severe cyclonic storm over the Bay of Bengal and is barrelling towards the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue red alerts and trigger large-scale evacuations.
As of Sunday evening, Senyar was centred about 320 km east-southeast of Port Blair, packing wind speeds of 100–110 kmph, gusting to 125 kmph. The IMD forecasts it will cross the Andaman archipelago between the North and Middle Andaman Islands late Monday night or early Tuesday as a severe cyclonic storm, bringing extremely heavy rainfall (over 20 cm in 24 hours), squally winds and storm surge up to 1.5 metres in low-lying areas.
Authorities have shifted over 8,000 residents from vulnerable coastal villages to 112 relief camps. Fishermen have been strictly warned against venturing into the sea until November 26. Schools and colleges across the islands will remain shut on Monday and Tuesday, while flights to and from Veer Savarkar International Airport are likely to be disrupted.
The Andaman Trunk Road has been closed to heavy vehicles, and disaster response forces — NDRF, Coast Guard, and Navy — are on standby with helicopters and relief materials. “We are fully prepared; no life should be lost,” a senior officer told reporters.
Post-Andaman, the system is expected to weaken slightly but re-intensify before a possible second landfall near the northern Tamil Nadu–southern Andhra coast around November 28-29.