Cyclone Arnab: 3 dead in Andhra, flash flood warning for 13 districts

Following Cyclone Arnab's landfall, the India Meteorological Department (IMD)’s Cyclone Warning Centre on Wednesday (October 28) issued a moderate to high flash flood risk warning for 13 districts of Andhra Pradesh and Yanam until 5.30 am on Thursday (October 29). So far, three people have died in cyclone-related incidents in the state, and 31 houses have been damaged.

The flash flood warning covered Bapatla, Guntur, NTR, Krishna, Eluru, East Godavari, Kakinada, Alluri Sitarama Raju, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Anakapalli, Parvathipuram Manyam and West Godavari districts.

Cyclone Arnab crossed the coast in the morning, leaving a trail of destruction as it uprooted trees and electricity poles, caused damage to roads, and left several areas without power.

IMD’s latest warning

The landfall took place between 2 am and 8 am on the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts. By then, the storm had weakened from a very severe cyclonic storm to a severe cyclonic storm, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

Also Read: Cyclone Arnab weakens after landfall in Andhra Pradesh, CM says 'zero casualties'

“Under the influence of the very severe cyclonic storm ‘Arnab’, moderate to heavy flash flood risk is likely over a few watersheds and neighbourhoods,” the centre said in its latest bulletin. It warned that surface runoff and inundation could occur in areas with saturated soil and in low-lying areas identified as vulnerable.

The centre issued a storm surge warning for the North Andhra coast and a large part of the Odisha coast from 11.30 am on Wednesday until 5.30 am on Thursday. Gale-force winds were forecast to reach speeds of up to 120 kmph.

The Met Department forecast squally weather, with winds reaching 50 kmph and gusting to 60 kmph, along the Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal coasts, as well as the northern Tamil Nadu coast, from 5.30 am on October 29 to 5.30 am on October 30.

Extremely heavy rainfall was recorded in Andhra Pradesh, while very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall was reported in Odisha in the 24 hours until 8.30 am on Wednesday.

Forecast for the week

The IMD forecast heavy rainfall and thunderstorms in parts of Andhra Pradesh over the seven days from Wednesday to November 3.

It forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places over coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam on Wednesday, accompanied by gale-force winds reaching 90 kmph. Extremely heavy rainfall was also likely at isolated places, along with thunderstorms and lightning over coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam and Rayalaseema.

Also read: Cyclone Arnab: Red alert in 5 Odisha districts; leaves cancelled, schools to be closed

For Thursday, October 29, the IMD forecast heavy rainfall at isolated places in coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam, along with thunderstorms and lightning over these areas and Rayalaseema.

From October 30 to November 3, thunderstorms accompanied by lightning were likely over coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam. Heavy rainfall was also forecast at isolated places in these areas on November 1, 2 and 3.

Strong winds reaching speeds of up to 50 kmph were forecast until November 1.

Cyclone-related incidents

Chokka Kishore Kumar, 46, was killed around 12.30 am when a tree fell on him in Bhimavaram, West Godavari district. He was taken to hospital but was declared dead on arrival, an official said.

Another death took place on Tuesday (October 27) night when a 53-year-old man in Visakhapatnam district touched a live wire that had snapped over an agricultural field channel.

Also Read: Cyclone Arnab: Odisha, Andhra target zero casualties; schools shut, evacuations underway

Police said a 55-year-old woman in Yellamanchili, Anakapalli district, died on Wednesday morning after she stepped on an exposed wire outside her home.

Rambabu, a newspaper delivery worker, suffered a serious head injury when an electric pole fell on his moped near a temple in Bhimavaram. He was being treated in an intensive care unit.

Heavy rain damages homes, disrupts power supply

Rainfall crossed 200 mm at several places in coastal Andhra Pradesh. Kannuripalem in Anakapalli district recorded 261.5 mm between 8.30 am on October 27 and 4 am on Wednesday. According to IMD, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha will receive more rain over the next two days.

Speaking to reporters, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Inspector General Narendra Singh Bundela said 39 teams had been deployed across Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and nearby regions.

Also Read: Cyclone Arnab to intensify into very severe storm, Andhra coast landfall on Oct 28

Four additional teams were sent to Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday night. About 57,000 people in the state were moved to relief camps, and 38 were evacuated from Yanam.

"Andhra Pradesh has been the most affected... we have been informed that trees have been uprooted, 31 houses of various types have been damaged, and three persons have been killed," Bundela said.

Road clearance, electricity restoration

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu directed officials to clear blocked roads within two hours and to restore electricity after the winds eased. He asked authorities to provide medical care alongside food and drinking water at shelters and to protect agricultural land from flooding.

Hundreds of trees were uprooted in Kakinada, along with fewer than 100 electric poles, Superintendent of Police G Bindu Madhav said. The Uppada coastal road was washed away. In Alluri Sitaramaraju district, an old bridge in Tadiguda village collapsed and cut off a hamlet.

Naidu also followed up a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah with a phone call, detailing the damage caused by Cyclone Arnab, according to a press release.

Evacuation underway in Odisha

Odisha has evacuated more than 30,000 people. Six southern districts are under a red alert for heavy to extremely heavy rainfall. The state has prepared 2,037 cyclone shelters and deployed 313 response teams.

"Achieving zero casualties is our primary motto," Odisha Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said.

The IMD expects the storm to weaken further as it moves across southern Odisha towards Chhattisgarh.

(With agency inputs)