VISAKHAPATNAM/KAKINADA/AMALAPURAM: Eight people have died in parts of the Andhra Pradesh due to severe cyclonic storm Arnab, which crossed the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts early on Wednesday, triggered heavy rainfall uprooting hundreds of trees and electric poles, damaging houses and roads, and disrupting power supply and communication and caused damage to standing crops across coastal districts.More than 20,000 people were evacuated in coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh before its 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 of the cyclone and its impact on the State.Two people were killed in Bhimavaram of West Godavari district. In the first incident Ch Kishore (45) died after a tree fell on him and Rambabu died after an electric pole collapsed on him.In Konaseema district K Venkayamma died after a thatched house collapsed on her in Sakenetipalle manadl and similarly another woman at Prakashpuram in Sakenetipalle mandal.
Cyclone Arnab makes landfall along Andhra coast
In Visakhapatnam city, two women were killed after electric poles collapsed on them at Goshala and Balajinagar localities and 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 at Mangalapalem locality in Vizag city after coming into contact with a live wire that had snapped.The 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 as a very severe cyclonic storm with the maximum sustained wind speed of 125-135 kmph gusting to 150 kmph.The system had weakened from a very severe cyclonic storm to a severe cyclonic storm after crossing the coast.The system is likely to move north-northwestwards during the next 48 hours and weaken gradually. It will weaken into a cyclonic storm during the next six hours and further into a Deep Depression during subsequent six hours.The IMD forecast isolated heavy rainfall in Srikaklam, Vizianagaram and Parvathipuram Manyam districts on Thursday (Oct 29).Konaseema is among the worst-affected districts in Andhra Pradesh as the winds reached upto 130 kmph, uprooting trees and electric poles and damaging the standing paddy and horticulture crops, blocking roads and disrupting power supply and communication.The cyclone Arnab damaged the paddy fields in parts of Konaseema districts and spared the coconut plantations which is the huge relief for us as coconut is commercial crop said Ravi, a resident of Perurupeta of the Konaseema district. Though we expected massive devastation due to cyclone, fortunately the damage is not as we expected, he added.As per the preliminary estimates, the cyclone had 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 had been 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 the two districts reporting outages lasting more than one day.In Visakhapatnam city also hundreds of trees were uprooted and many low lying areas in the city witnessed waterlogging as Vizag city recorded over 20 cm of rainfall in 24 hours.The electricity connections were expected to be restored by Wednesday evening in parts of the state and major highways cleared within hours.As per the IMD, Garividi in Vizianagaram district recorded the highest rainfall of 26 cm between Tuesday morning and Wednesday morning followed by 25 cm rainfall each in Anakapalle, S Kota, Vepada, Cheepurupalle, 24 cm rainfall each in Bheemili, Mentada, and Yelamanchili, 23 cm of rainfall each in Gantyada and Ranastalam, 22cm rainfall each in Gajapathinagaram, Nellimarla, Visakhapatnam and Merakamudidam.The weather agency says 21 cm of rainfall each in Vizianagaram , Chodavaram Bondapalle and 20 cm of rainfall in Denkada. Many parts in the state recorded the rainfall between 10 cm 17 cm of rainfall during the period.