Cyclone Montha has caused widespread devastation in Andhra Pradesh, inflicting damages worth ₹5,265 crore, primarily to the agriculture and infrastructure sectors, according to chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
Speaking to reporters after a review meeting at the state secretariat on Thursday, Naidu said that the agriculture sector alone suffered losses of ₹829 crore, while the roads and buildings (R&amp;B) department reported damages worth ₹2,079 crore. 
The irrigation sector, however, faced comparatively lower losses.
Naidu credited advance planning and swift preventive action for minimizing the cyclone&rsquo;s impact. 
&ldquo;We had anticipated the fury of Cyclone Montha well in advance, which helped reduce the damage considerably,&rdquo; he said.
Detailing the preparedness measures, the chief minister noted that every household had been geotagged, allowing real-time decision-making during the cyclone. 
&ldquo;In the past, power restoration took nearly 10 hours after an outage, but this time, supply was restored within three hours. All departments worked with exceptional coordination,&rdquo; he added.
Naidu praised officials and field staff for their prompt response. 
&ldquo;Despite heavy rains, fallen trees were cleared immediately to prevent inconvenience. Earlier, it used to take a week to remove them. Natural disasters can&rsquo;t be prevented, but preparedness can certainly reduce their impact,&rdquo; he said.
He added that a detailed report on the damages will soon be submitted to the Centre for financial assistance.
The chief minister lauded the seamless coordination between departments, which he said ensured timely relief and quick road clearance. 
&ldquo;Earlier, it used to take four to seven days, but this time, roads were reopened swiftly,&rdquo; he said, commending village secretariat staff and line departments for their teamwork.
Principal secretary (agriculture) Buditi Rajasekhar stated that around 70% of crop damage occurred in paddy fields, particularly in Konaseema, Kakinada, and Nellore districts. 
&ldquo;Officials should assess the crop condition based on the growth stage and record the damage survey quickly,&rdquo; he said.
Telangana continues to battle flood fury
In neighboring Telangana, several districts including Warangal, Karimnagar, Peddapalli, Nalgonda, and Khammam remain inundated due to heavy rains triggered by Cyclone Montha.
Chief minister A Revanth Reddy held a video conference with district collectors and senior officials, instructing them to take up relief and rehabilitation measures on a war footing. 
He directed officials to ensure there was no loss of life or livestock and to prioritize evacuations from flood-prone areas.
Officials informed the chief minister that large-scale damage was reported to paddy and cotton crops, particularly in the erstwhile Warangal and Nalgonda districts, and the Husnabad constituency.
With reports of soaked paddy stocks and damage at procurement centers, Revanth Reddy ordered immediate shifting of paddy to nearby godowns and mills to prevent further loss.
The Telangana CM is scheduled to conduct an aerial survey of the flood-hit regions of Warangal and Husnabad on Friday to assess crop and infrastructure damage firsthand.

Flooded roads and damaged crops after Montha

Naidu says early preparedness reduced Montha’s impact; Telangana reels under heavy floods

Cyclone Montha Causes ₹5,265Cr losses In AP

Naidu says early preparedness reduced Montha’s impact; Telangana reels under heavy floods

October 31, 2025 | 15:52 IST