Amaravati, Nov 11 (IANS): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Thursday took stock of the emerging situation in the state with the depression in the Bay of Bengal set to hit the Tamil Nadu coast towards Thursday evening.

During the course of a video conference with collectors of Prakasam, Nellore, Chittoor, and Kadapa districts, he called for a high alert in view of the heavy spells in several districts.

The Chief Minister directed the officials to stay prepared with SDRF and NDRF teams. He instructed the district collectors to set up relief camps for taking care of the people from inundated areas and to provide Rs 1,000 as a relief to every victim.

Authorities said that heavy rains are expected in Nellore, Prakasam, Chittoor and Kadapa.

They stated that a low-pressure in the Bay of Bengal is likely to make a landfall in the southern part of the country as a cyclone by November 17 and to brace for another likely spell of heavy rains.

Reddy directed the authorities to set up a dedicated phone number for the flood victims and coordinate with other departments to evacuate people from flood-prone areas.

All necessary precautionary measures are being taken to prevent damage and ensure that medications are available at PHCs, area hospitals, and district hospitals. Power generators are being deployed to meet emergency services without any interruption.

State officials said priority is being given to power restoration works, plugging breaches to canals in case of the damage and supplying safe drinking water to all those affected areas.