A severe cyclonic storm dubbed Cyclone Hudhud on Sunday hit the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh's port city of Visakhapatnam, officials said, adding the current wind speed there was nearly 200 kms per hour.
"The worst phase of the cyclone has begun. We are fully ready to deal with any eventuality. So far there has been no casualty," said an official of the Indian Navy, which has a huge base in the port city.
Local TV channels showed footage of heavy rainfall in the city, with power lines being snapped and trees uprooted.
"There will be a lull in the storm after sometime, but the storm will again intensify after that for a few hours," a weather official said.
Indian authorities have so far evacuated over 400,000 people from the coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh and the neighboring eastern state of Odisha which is also likely to bear the brunt of the cyclone.