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 here He expressed his condolences to the bereaved families and announced ex gratia of ₹5 lakh to each of the families of the deceased. Naidu 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 evacuated The 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. Naidu 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 updates The 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 | Visuals He 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.