PTI
Amaravati/Bhubaneswar
Cyclone Arnab crossed the Andhra coast early on Wednesday, leaving a trail of destruction with uprooted trees and electric poles and damaged roads, while five persons were killed in related incidents including electrocution.
In a 6-hour landfall between 2 am-8 am, the weather system crossed the coast between Andhra Pradesh and Yanam, bringing copious rains to many parts, especially those in the coastal districts.
Trees and electric poles were uprooted, landslides were reported, and roads were flooded as heavy rain and strong winds, triggered by cyclone Arnab, battered southern Odisha on Wednesday, officials said.
Heavy to extremely heavy rainfall prompted the Odisha government to evacuate over 30,000 people and place several districts on high alert, Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said.
The cyclone disrupted train services, with more than 50 trains cancelled along the eastern coast.
According to Andhra Pradesh officials, hundreds of villages in over 10 districts, including Eluru, West Godavari and Vizianagaram bore the brunt of the cyclone, with many localities receiving rainfall in excess of 200 mm, with low-lying areas getting inundated.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, detailing the damage caused by the cyclone, said five people were killed in incidents of electrocution and wall collapse.
Standing crops, including paddy, suffered damage over thousands of hectares.
Naidu wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, seeking a visit by a central team to assess the extent of damage caused by the cyclone.
Earlier, the very severe cyclonic storm Arnab crossed the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts between 2 am-8 am, before weakening into a severe cyclonic storm, the weather office said.
“The cyclone crossed the Andhra Pradesh & Yanam coasts to the Southwest of Yanam near latitude 16.450 N and 81.90 E, about 20 km east-northeast of Narsapur, 40 km southwest of Yanam and 60 km southwest of Kakinada,” the India Meteorological Department said in an official release.
According to Naidu, the very severe cyclonic storm threw life out of gear in the southern state. He promised to visit the most affected districts – Dr BR Ambedkar Konaseema district and West Godavari.
Naidu said that he wrote to the Centre seeking assistance for cyclone damage and also briefed Shah on the intensity of the cyclone and its impact on Andhra Pradesh.
Reviewing the situation following the cyclone’s landfall, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said advance preparations had helped the state achieve its “zero casualty” objective despite the devastation.
Gajapati was the worst-affected among the eight districts that were put on alert, he said.
“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 wreaking havoc in Andhra Pradesh.
“Reviewed the ground situation with senior officials today in the wake of Cyclone Arnab. Minor disruptions like tree falls reported across 10 locations were promptly attended to. Situation is being closely monitored to maintain safe and smooth train operations,” Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in a post on X.
