VIJAYAWADA: Cyclone Arnab crossed the Andhra Pradesh coast early on Wednesday, killing two people in separate electrocution incidents, uprooting hundreds of trees and electric poles, and damaging roads.Flight operations were also disrupted at airports across coastal Andhra Pradesh, with several services cancelled or suspended due to adverse weather.The very severe cyclonic storm crossed the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts between 2 am and 8 am before weakening into a severe cyclonic storm, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.The cyclone crossed the coast southwest of Yanam, near latitude 16.450 N and longitude 81.90 E, about 20 km east-northeast of Narsapur, 40 km southwest of Yanam and 60 km southwest of Kakinada, according to the IMD.Several locations in coastal districts recorded heavy rainfall exceeding 200 mm, while strong winds uprooted trees and power poles, blocked roads and disrupted electricity supply.According to news agency PTI, two people, including a 55-year-old woman, died of electrocution in separate incidents. A 53-year-old man died in Visakhapatnam district on Tuesday night after coming into contact with a live wire that had snapped over an agricultural field channel.In Yellamanchili town in Anakapalli district, a woman died on Wednesday morning after accidentally stepping on an exposed live wire outside her home, police said.Chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu reviewed the situation on Wednesday morning during a teleconference with 32,000 personnel, including district collectors, and directed officials to restore normalcy at the earliest while minimising property damage.He instructed officials to clear roads blocked by fallen trees within two hours and remove trees obstructing national highways immediately. Electricity supply should be restored once strong winds subside, he said.Naidu also directed officials to ensure adequate food, drinking water and medical facilities at cyclone shelters, protect horticultural crops, prevent water from entering agricultural fields and take measures to prevent breaches in tanks and canals.He asked officials to prepare preliminary estimates of crop damage and keep National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel on standby.
Trees uprooted, roads damaged
Kakinada Superintendent of Police G Bindu Madhav said the district had been significantly affected by the storm.“Cyclone Arnab had significantly affected the district, uprooting a few hundred trees and fewer than 100 electric poles. However, no major damage has been reported and rainfall subsided after 1 am,” he said.People evacuated to relief camps remained there until 1 am on Wednesday as strong winds continued, he added. The Uppada coastal road had been completely washed away, though rainfall in the district was relatively low and gusty winds caused most of the damage.In Alluri Sitaramaraju district, trees and electric poles were uprooted and some roads inundated. District SP Amit Bardar said no deaths or major damage to infrastructure, houses or livestock had been reported as of 9 am.“No loss of life or major damage to infrastructure, houses or livestock has been reported so far. We are monitoring the situation closely as water levels may rise due to continued rainfall,” Bardar told PTI.An old bridge in Tadiguda village of Anantagiri mandal was washed away, isolating a hamlet. Alternative arrangements were being made and restoration work was underway, he said.In Konaseema district, gusty winds reaching up to 130 kmph uprooted trees and electric poles late on Tuesday night, district police chief Rahul Meena said. No casualties or property damage had been reported.More than 10,000 people had been evacuated from low-lying areas and moved to shelters, according to preliminary information. Around 495 cyclone shelters and temporary relief centres had been set up, Meena said.Additional Andhra Pradesh Special Police platoons were deployed for clearance operations, with personnel from various departments working to restore normalcy by evening. Electricity supply was expected to be restored within a few hours, while major highways were expected to be cleared within two to three hours.In Visakhapatnam district, around 400 trees had fallen, District Collector M Abhishikth Kishore said. Roads and Buildings department and Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation teams were carrying out clearance operations, with most roads already reopened to traffic.“About 100 families are currently staying at two relief centres while few others have returned to their homes. No inundation has been reported anywhere in the district,” Kishore told PTI.Anakapalli district SP Tuhin Sinha said no major issues had been reported in the district.
Heavy rainfall, flight disruptions
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.State government officials said heavy rainfall was likely to continue on Wednesday and Thursday due to the cyclone’s impact.The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) said flights to and from coastal Andhra Pradesh and southern Odisha, including Bhubaneswar, were expected to be the most affected. Hyderabad, Varanasi, Prayagraj and Gorakhpur could also see knock-on delays depending on the storm’s track.Flight operations at Visakhapatnam airport had been suspended since the afternoon of October 27, while flights at Vijayawada and Rajahmundry were suspended after 7 pm that day.The Delhi-Bhogapuram-Delhi service was cancelled for October 28.Air India cancelled six flights on the Delhi-Visakhapatnam-Delhi route on October 27 and the Delhi-Vijayawada-Delhi route on October 28. Air India Express reported 13 cancellations, mostly involving Visakhapatnam flights to and from Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Vijayawada, along with the Varanasi-Bangkok and Bangkok-Visakhapatnam services.IndiGo suspended all flights at Visakhapatnam and services at Vijayawada and Rajahmundry after 7 pm on October 27. The cancellation figures were provisional.Akasa Air cancelled its Delhi-Bhogapuram and return services scheduled for October 28, while its other flights were expected to operate. Alliance Air was operating normally, with no cancellations reported so far.MoCA stressed coordination among the Airports Authority of India, Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, IMD, airlines, airport operators, disaster management authorities in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal, and the NDRF to ensure passenger safety.Airlines were advised to follow operational guidelines for adverse weather, inform passengers about delays and cancellations, and comply with applicable rebooking and refund rules.Passengers were advised to check flight status through airline websites, apps, helplines or SMS before leaving for the airport. They were also asked not to travel unless their flight was confirmed and to allow extra time for their journey.