Cyclone Arnab crossed the Andhra Pradesh coast early on Wednesday, killing five people in related incidents and damaging roads, power infrastructure and crops, while heavy rain and strong winds battered southern Odisha, triggering landslides and flooding. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said advance preparations and evacuations had helped the state achieve its "zero casualty" objective.
The very severe cyclonic storm crossed the Andhra Pradesh-Yanam coast between 2 am and 8 am before weakening, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Heavy rainfall inundated low-lying areas across both states, uprooted trees and electric poles, disrupted transport and left thousands of hectares of agricultural land damaged.
In Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said five people had died in incidents involving electrocution and a wall collapse. He sought central assistance and said a preliminary damage assessment would be submitted to the Centre, followed by a comprehensive report.
In Odisha, Gajapati was the worst-affected district among eight initially placed on alert, Majhi said. The state evacuated 43,827 people to 634 relief centres, while 2,037 centres had been kept ready.
Andhra: Five killed, power infrastructure damaged
Hundreds of villages across more than 10 districts, including Eluru, West Godavari and Vizianagaram, bore the brunt of the cyclone, with several locations recording more than 200 mm of rain and low-lying areas becoming inundated.
Addressing a press conference at the Real Time Governance System (RTGS) in the secretariat, Naidu said one person died in Visakhapatnam after coming into contact with a live electric wire following a tree's fall on it. A woman died in rural Visakhapatnam after an electric pole fell on her, while an uprooted palm tree killed a man in Bhimavaram. A woman died of electrocution in Anakapalli and another person was killed when a wall collapsed in Sakinetipalli.
"Despite many efforts, five people died today. We have been telling, some cooperated, some were casual and ventured out and misfortune will strike us," said Naidu.
The chief minister said the cyclone had disrupted normal life across the state. He promised to visit the worst-affected Dr BR Ambedkar Konaseema and West Godavari districts.
Naidu said he had written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking assistance and briefed him on the cyclone's intensity and its impact on Andhra Pradesh. He also sought a visit by a central team to assess the damage. Standing crops, including paddy, suffered extensive damage.
Naidu said coconut plantations and other horticultural crops were also affected, with nearly 50,000 trees uprooted in Konaseema and West Godavari districts. An official press release said 33,000 coconut trees had been uprooted in Konaseema alone.
Thousands of acres of paddy fields were flattened by strong winds and heavy rain. A video of a banana farmer salvaging a bunch of bananas from his inundated plantation also went viral.
Rough sea conditions left a cargo ship stranded off the Antarvedi coast in the Bay of Bengal, according to PTI Videos.
Naidu said the government had given special attention to maintaining drinking water supplies and sanitation in affected areas. Families whose homes were inundated would receive 25 kg of rice, while affected weavers and fishermen would receive 50 kg. The government would also distribute one kilogram each of onions, cooking oil and red gram dal to affected people.
Those who took refuge in cyclone shelters would receive Rs 1,000 per person, with assistance capped at Rs 3,000 per family. Naidu also announced financial assistance for small businesses, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and other affected groups under different categories.
A decision on the relief measures would be taken at a virtual Cabinet meeting scheduled for Thursday, he said.
Naidu said the state's average rainfall deficit had narrowed from 39% to 27% following the downpour. He added that 30,000 government officials had been deployed for relief work.
Around 15,000 electric poles were uprooted, Naidu said, adding that power had been restored across the state except in Konaseema and West Godavari districts. Bhimavaram, the headquarters of West Godavari district, had been without electricity since Tuesday night.
The chief minister instructed officials to clear all uprooted trees from villages by Wednesday night to restore transport links.
The IMD said rainfall exceeding 200 mm was recorded at several locations in Anakapalli, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam districts between 8.30 am on October 27 and 4 am on October 28. Kannuripalem in Anakapalli recorded the highest rainfall at 261.5 mm, followed by KVBR School in Vizianagaram district at 259.74 mm and the 16th Police Battalion area in Visakhapatnam at 259.06 mm.
The IMD's Cyclone Warning Centre issued a moderate to high flash flood risk warning for 13 districts until 5.30 am on Thursday. The warning covered Bapatla, Guntur, NTR, Krishna, Eluru, East Godavari, Kakinada, Alluri Sitarama Raju, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Anakapalli, Parvathipuram Manyam and West Godavari districts.
Odisha: Nearly 44,000 evacuated, heavy rain forecast
Heavy rain and strong winds triggered by Cyclone Arnab uprooted trees and electric poles, flooded roads and caused landslides in southern Odisha, officials said.
Reviewing the situation after the cyclone crossed the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh coast, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said advance preparations had helped the state meet its "zero casualty" objective despite the damage.
"Though it was initially expected that the cyclone would make landfall on Wednesday forenoon, it hit the Andhra Pradesh coast much earlier, around 2 am. Our early preparations and evacuation saved many lives," he said.
He warned that Malkangiri could be affected further as the cyclone moved across Odisha after causing extensive damage in Andhra Pradesh.
"The government was focusing on Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts," he said.
"We have evacuated 43,827 people to 634 relief centres and are providing them with essentials such as food, water and medicines," he said, adding that 2,037 relief centres had been kept ready.
Majhi said eight ministers, including the two deputy chief ministers, and seven senior Indian Administrative Service officers were stationed in affected districts to monitor the situation.
Schools and anganwadi centres in 16 districts remained closed on Wednesday because of the cyclone.
Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said the cyclone had disrupted train services, with more than 50 trains cancelled along the eastern coast. He said the next 12 hours would be critical as the impact intensified.
Bhubaneswar airport director Prasanna Pradhan said flight operations were largely normal, but a nine-seater service on the Bhubaneswar-Jeypore-Visakhapatnam route was cancelled for the day. Flights from Chennai and Hyderabad to Bhubaneswar took alternative routes to avoid the affected Visakhapatnam airspace, he said.
The Regional Meteorological Centre in Bhubaneswar said the cyclone had weakened after crossing the Andhra Pradesh-Yanam coast but had triggered heavy to extremely heavy rainfall across southern Odisha over the preceding 24 hours.
Mahendragarh in Gajapati district recorded the highest rainfall at 249.9 mm, followed by Pottangi in Koraput at 188 mm, Mohana in Gajapati at 168.8 mm, Ganjam at 161.4 mm and Similiguda in Koraput at 143.1 mm.
The IMD issued a red alert for extremely heavy rainfall in Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri, Gajapati and Ganjam districts, forecasting wind speeds of 50-70 kmph.
Bargarh, Subarnapur, Boudh, Nuapada, Balangir, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Puri, Khurda and Nayagarh districts were placed under an alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall, accompanied by winds of 40-60 kmph. Other parts of the state could also experience heavy rain and winds of 30-50 kmph, the IMD said.
In its national bulletin issued at 8.30 pm, the IMD said the severe cyclonic storm over coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam and the adjoining Bay of Bengal had moved at around 8 kmph over the preceding six hours and weakened into a cyclonic storm.
"It is very likely to move north-northwestwards during the next 48 hours and weaken gradually. It will weaken into a deep depression by midnight of October 28, 2026," the bulletin said.
According to the IMD, the system had crossed the Andhra Pradesh-Yanam coast between 2 am and 8 am as a very severe cyclonic storm, packing maximum sustained winds of 125-135 kmph. It weakened into a severe cyclonic storm around 8.30 am, with wind speeds dropping to 110-120 kmph.
Pujari said 313 response teams had been deployed, comprising 60 Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) teams, nine National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams and 244 Fire and Emergency Services teams.
All 19,143 fishing boats had returned to shore, he said, adding that the administration was focusing on relief distribution, damage assessment and restoring normalcy.
Amid continuing rain and strong winds, two Gajalaxmi Puja pandals collapsed in Bhubaneswar and Kalahandi district, but no one was injured, police said.
(With inputs from PTI)
