Cyclone Arnab kills 5, damages crops and infrastructure in Andhra Pradesh; CM Naidu announces relief

Severe cyclone Arnab, which crossed the Andhra Pradesh coast in the early hours of Wednesday and wreaked havoc in the coastal districts, has claimed five lives and caused extensive damage to crops and public infrastructure, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said.A tree lies uprooted over a car following heavy rainfall and strong winds triggered by Cyclone Arnab, in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. (PTI)Speaking to reporters after reviewing the situation at the Real Time Governance System (RTGS) centre at the state secretariat in the evening, Naidu said three persons died in Visakhapatnam district due to the fall of electric poles and trees, and one each in Anakapalli and Bhimavaram. Check LIVE updates hereHe expressed his condolences to the bereaved families and announced ex gratia of ₹5 lakh to each of the families of the deceased.Around 15,000 electricity poles uprootedNaidu said that, according to preliminary estimates, around 15,000 electricity poles were uprooted across the state. “The cyclone has also affected an estimated 3.45 lakh farmers, with standing crops inundated or damaged across 2,24,489 hectares in 14 districts,” he said.Also read | Cyclone Arnab nears Andhra coast as 1.5 lakh people evacuatedThe India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the cyclone crossed the Andhra Pradesh-Yanam coast between 2am and 8am on Wednesday as a very severe cyclonic storm. It packed maximum sustained winds of 125-135 kmph before weakening into a severe cyclonic storm around 8.30am. The wind speeds dropped to 110-120 kmph.The system was expected to move north-northwestwards over the next two days. It was likely to weaken gradually into a cyclonic storm and then into a deep depression. The system was forecast to track northwest towards Chhattisgarh after moving across parts of southern Odisha.Damage to crops and infrastructureNaidu wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah about considerable damage to crops and infrastructure.He cited preliminary estimates and said the cyclone and rainfall had damaged agricultural and horticultural crops spread across approximately 70,900 hectares, including paddy. “Of this, crops on about 10,450 hectares had been reported inundated or damaged,” he said.Also read | Cyclone Arnab: 22 train services cancelled; passengers advised to check updatesThe chief minister also announced financial assistance for farmers whose crops were damaged by the cyclone. The assistance will vary according to the crop and the extent of damage. The announced assistance includes ₹25,000 per hectare for cotton and sugarcane, ₹15,000 per hectare for banana plantations and ₹25,000 for tomato crops.“Farmers cultivating other crops will receive assistance according to the respective categories under the government's relief framework,” he said.He added that about 180 houses were reported damaged, mostly in the Konaseema district. Over 220 trees fell on state roads, of which over 170 had been cleared by Wednesday afternoon, he added. Naidu wrote that damage to road infrastructure was reported from the coastal areas.Naidu underlined that the figures were provisional and likely to change as assessment teams completed their field surveys. “The state government will share a detailed damage assessment with the Centre after verification,” Naidu said.Also read | Sea waves surge onto roads, trees uprooted, heavy rains trigger waterlogging amid Cyclone Arnab landfall process | VisualsHe sought continued support from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and other central agencies. Naidu urged the early deputation of a central team to assess the damage.Naidu said the cyclone’s impact was particularly concentrated along the Godavari delta coast, covering Konaseema, Kakinada, East Godavari and West Godavari, and Krishna and Anakapalli districts. Four wards in Visakhapatnam were inundated.He said fire and emergency services personnel attended to over 220 emergency calls, mainly involving the removal of fallen trees.Naidu said the state government mobilised its disaster-response machinery throughout the night, deploying 16 NDRF and 11 State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams across 14 districts.28,000 people shifted to relief sheltersNaidu wrote that over 28,000 people were shifted to relief shelters as a precautionary measure. He added that all fishing boats were brought back to harbour.Naidu said medical teams, ambulances, relief supplies, power restoration crews and road-clearance teams were positioned in affected districts, with collectors leading operations on the ground.He added that the administration would focus on assisting displaced families and those whose houses were damaged. Relief and response teams would remain deployed until the threat from rainfall and storm surge had passed, he said.Naidu thanked Shah for the continued support and said the state would watch for rainfall and flooding in the days ahead.In Odisha, the rain prompted the government to evacuate over 30,000 people and place districts in southern parts of the state on high alert.State disaster management minister Suresh Pujari said that evacuation from low-lying and landslide-prone areas continued. He said the next 24 hours were expected to be critical as the cyclone's impact intensified.Pujari said 313 response teams were deployed at vulnerable locations. These included 60 Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), nine NDRF, and 244 fire and emergency services teams.He said all 19,143 fishing boats had returned to shore. Pujari added that preventive measures, including temporary road closures, were implemented in vulnerable landslide-prone areas.Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the situation was being closely monitored to maintain safe and smooth train operations. He said he reviewed the ground situation with senior officials. "Minor disruptions like tree falls reported across 10 locations were promptly attended to," he said in a post on X.Bhubaneswar airport director Prasanna Pradhan said flight operations were mostly normal even as a flight was cancelled. He said flights from Chennai and Hyderabad to Bhubaneswar were taking an alternative route over Raipur to avoid the affected Visakhapatnam airspace.Odisha's Mahendragarh (Gajapati) recorded the highest rainfall (249.9 mm), followed by Pottangi (Koraput) at 188 mm, Mohana (Gajapati) at 168.8 mm, and Similiguda (Koraput) at 143.1 mm.The IMD issued a red alert for extremely heavy rainfall in Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri, Gajapati and Ganjam districts, along with winds of 50-70 kmph.Odisha Special Relief Commissioner Rajesh P Patil said trees were uprooted in some southern districts and that there were no reports of major damage or casualties.