VISAKHAPATNAM/KAKINADA/AMALAPURAM: Eight people have died in parts of Andhra Pradesh after severe cyclonic storm Arnab crossed the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts early on Wednesday.The storm triggered heavy rainfall, uprooted hundreds of trees and electric poles, damaged houses and roads, disrupted power supply and communication, and damaged standing crops across coastal districts. More than 20,000 people were evacuated in coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh before the cyclone’s arrival.Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday sought the Union government’s support in dealing with the impact of very severe cyclonic storm Arnab. Naidu spoke to Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the phone and briefed him on the cyclone and its impact on the state.Two people were killed in Bhimavaram in West Godavari district. In the first incident, Ch Kishore (45) died after a tree fell on him, while Rambabu died after an electric pole collapsed on him.In Konaseema district, K Venkayamma died after a thatched house collapsed on her in Sakenetipalle mandal. Similarly, another woman died in Prakashpuram in Sakenetipalle mandal.
Cyclone Arnab makes landfall along Andhra coast
In Visakhapatnam city, two women were killed after electric poles collapsed on them in the Goshala and Balajinagar localities. One of the victims was identified as K Madhavi.Further, a 55-year-old woman died after accidentally stepping on an exposed live wire outside her home in Yellamanchili town in Anakapalli district on Wednesday morning.It may be recalled that one person, A Pinni Devudu (65), died of electrocution in the Mangalapalem locality of Vizag city after coming into contact with a live wire that had snapped.Cyclone Arnab crossed the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts to the southwest of Yanam, about 20 km east-northeast of Narsapur, 40 km southwest of Yanam and 60 km southwest of Kakinada, between 2 am and 8 am on Wednesday.It crossed the coast as a very severe cyclonic storm, with maximum sustained wind speeds of 125-135 kmph and gusts reaching 150 kmph. The system weakened from a very severe cyclonic storm to a severe cyclonic storm after crossing the coast.The system is likely to move north-northwestwards over the next 48 hours and weaken gradually. It is expected to weaken into a cyclonic storm during the next six hours and further into a deep depression over the subsequent six hours.The IMD has forecast isolated heavy rainfall in Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Parvathipuram Manyam districts on Thursday (October 29).Konaseema is among the worst-affected districts in Andhra Pradesh, with winds reaching up to 130 kmph. The winds uprooted trees and electric poles, damaged standing paddy and horticultural crops, blocked roads, and disrupted power supply and communication.The cyclone damaged paddy fields in parts of Konaseema district but spared coconut plantations, providing considerable relief to farmers.“The cyclone damaged the paddy fields in parts of Konaseema districts and spared the coconut plantations, which is a huge relief for us as coconut is a commercial crop,” said Ravi, a resident of Perurupeta in Konaseema district.“Though we expected massive devastation due to the cyclone, fortunately, the damage is not as we expected,” he added.As per preliminary estimates, the cyclone uprooted hundreds of trees and around 100 electric poles in Kakinada district. However, no major damage has been reported, and rainfall subsided after 2 am on Wednesday. The Uppada coastal road was completely washed away in Kakinada district.Prolonged power interruptions following Cyclone Arnab have caused considerable hardship to residents in several parts of Konaseema and Kakinada districts, with people in both districts reporting outages lasting more than a day.In Visakhapatnam city, hundreds of trees were also uprooted, while several low-lying areas witnessed waterlogging as the city recorded more than 20 cm of rainfall in 24 hours.Electricity connections were expected to be restored by Wednesday evening in parts of the state, and major highways were expected to be cleared within hours.According to the IMD, Garividi in Vizianagaram district recorded the highest rainfall, at 26 cm, between Tuesday morning and Wednesday morning.This was followed by 25 cm each in Anakapalle, S Kota, Vepada and Cheepurupalle; 24 cm each in Bheemili, Mentada and Yellamanchili; and 23 cm each in Gantyada and Ranastalam.Gajapathinagaram, Nellimarla, Visakhapatnam and Merakamudidam each recorded 22 cm of rainfall. The weather agency reported 21 cm each in Vizianagaram, Chodavaram and Bondapalle, and 20 cm in Denkada.Many parts of the state recorded between 10 cm and 17 cm of rainfall during the period.
