Amaravati, Oct. 28 -- Cyclone Arnab crossed the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coast early Wednesday, killing five people, damaging power infrastructure and inundating villages, while heavy rain and strong winds battered neighbouring Odisha, where authorities evacuated more than 43,000 people to safety. The storm uprooted thousands of trees, damaged standing crops and flooded roads across the two states. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu sought central assistance for relief and rehabilitation, while Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said advance preparations had helped the state avoid casualties.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the very severe cyclonic storm crossed the coast between 2 am and 8 am, near Narsapur, and weakened into a severe cyclonic storm around 8.30 am. Maximum sustained wind speeds during landfall were estimated at 125-135 kmph, subsequently dropping to 110-120 kmph. By Wednesday evening, the system had further weakened into a cyclonic storm.
In Andhra Pradesh, the five deaths were reported in Visakhapatnam, Vizag Rural, Bhimavaram, Anakapalli and Sakinetipalli, involving electrocution, falling electric infrastructure and a wall collapse. Describing the fatalities, Naidu said, "Despite many efforts, five people died today. We have been telling, some cooperated, some were casual and ventured out and misfortune will strike us."
More than 10 districts suffered damage, with several locations recording over 200 mm of rainfall. Kannuripalem in Anakapalli district received the highest recorded rainfall at 261.5 mm, followed by KVBR School in Vizianagaram at 259.74 mm. Nearly 50,000 trees were uprooted in Dr BR Ambedkar Konaseema and West Godavari districts, including 33,000 coconut trees in Konaseema alone. Paddy fields and other agricultural crops were flattened, while a cargo vessel was stranded off Antarvedi amid rough seas.
Naidu said 30,000 government personnel had been deployed for relief operations. Around 15,000 electric poles were uprooted, although power was restored in most districts by Wednesday, with Konaseema and West Godavari remaining affected. He announced rice and essential supplies for affected households, weavers and fishermen, along with financial assistance for people who took shelter in cyclone centres. A virtual Cabinet meeting scheduled for Thursday will decide on relief measures. Naidu also wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking a central team to assess the damage.
In Odisha, Gajapati was the worst-affected district among eight initially placed on alert. Majhi said 43,827 people had been moved to 634 relief centres, with 2,037 centres kept ready. Eight ministers and seven senior IAS officers were stationed in affected districts to oversee operations. Schools and anganwadi centres in 16 districts remained closed.
Mahendragarh in Gajapati recorded 249.9 mm of rainfall, the highest in Odisha. The IMD issued red alerts for extremely heavy rainfall in six districts, warning of winds reaching 50-70 kmph. Authorities deployed 313 response teams, comprising 60 Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force teams, nine National Disaster Response Force teams and 244 fire and emergency services teams. All 19,143 fishing boats had returned to shore.
Train services were disrupted, with more than 50 trains cancelled along the eastern coast. Flight operations largely continued, although a nine-seater service connecting Bhubaneswar, Jeypore and Visakhapatnam was cancelled.
The IMD forecast that Arnab would move north-northwestwards and weaken gradually, becoming a deep depression by midnight on Wednesday. Heavy rain and strong winds were expected to continue, keeping relief operations and damage assessments underway across both states.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.