The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy today held a video conference with nine district collectors on cyclone emergency, as cyclone Phailin is expected to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm during the next twelve hours.

A bulletin from the India Meteorological Department said Phailin over east central Bay of Bengal moved slightly north-westward, intensified further and lay centred about 950 km east-southeast off Visakhapatnam. It is expected to move north-westwards and cross north Andhra Pradesh and Odisha coast between Kalingapatnam and Paradip by the night of October 12 as a very severe cyclonic storm.

The three north coastal district of Andhra Pradesh, Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam, are likely to experience very high rainfall from Friday evening.

The district collectors were asked to open control rooms at the district and mandal levels with mobile and ham radio sets.

District officials are being positioned at different vulnerable places in the nine districts, while collectors have begun pooling all government vehicles to handle any emergency.

The Chief Minister also directed that measures be initiated to open relief camps at low-lying areas.

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