Cyclone Arnab hits Andhra coast; southern Odisha is on high alert

Amaravati/Bhubaneswar: Cyclone Arnab crossed the Andhra coast early Wednesday, leaving behind widespread damage, including uprooted trees, fallen electric poles and damaged roads. Officials said two people were electrocuted in separate incidents. According to the weather office, 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.

In Odisha, more than 30,000 people have been evacuated to safety, and the entire southern part of the state remained on high alert on Wednesday. Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said the cyclone is expected to affect all southern districts, with Malkangiri likely to bear the brunt. “The cyclone is presently within Andhra Pradesh, and it will later in the afternoon touch Odisha,” Pujari said.

He added that personnel and equipment had been deployed in vulnerable areas, and evacuation efforts were still underway. The government is focusing on Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts, where people from low-lying and landslide-prone areas are being moved to shelters, he said. Schools and anganwadi centres in 16 of the state’s 30 districts remained closed for the day.

A total of 2,037 cyclone shelters have been kept ready, with food, drinking water and other essential facilities arranged. The administrations in Kalahandi, Kandhamal and Nuapada districts are also on alert, the minister said. The India Meteorological Department, in an official release, said the cyclone crossed the Andhra Pradesh and 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.

Several parts of the coastal districts received heavy rainfall, with some areas recording more than 200 mm. In its aftermath, Cyclone Arnab caused major destruction, uprooting numerous trees and power poles and triggering power outages in several places. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu directed officials to restore normalcy at the earliest in the affected districts.

Officials also said two people, including a 55-year-old woman, died after being electrocuted in separate incidents during the cyclone.