Cyclone Arnab weakened after making landfall in Andhra Pradesh, in early hours of Wednesday.
The storm, initially classified as 'very severe,' has downgraded to 'severe' and is expected to further weaken into a deep depression.
Relief efforts are underway, with damage assessments ongoing and precautionary measures in place to minimise casualties and disruptions.
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Cyclonic storm Arnab has made landfall between the districts of Visakhapatnam and Bapatla, south of Yanam, in Andhra Pradesh in the early hours of Wednesday. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), latest observations indicate that the landfall process is complete, with the centre of the storm moving fully onto land.
IMD said that with this development, the “very severe cyclonic storm” has weakened into a “severe cyclonic storm”, with wind speeds of 110-120 kilometres per hour (kmph) gusting up to 135 kmph.
“We expected it between 2 am and 4 am on October 28, but the system remained practically stationary for four hours, so the landfall was delayed by four more hours. Landfall was completed at 8 am,” Sagili Karunasagar, a scientist at the IMD’s Amaravati centre, told Down To Earth (DTE).
By Wednesday evening, the system is likely to weaken into a deep depression, bringing immediate relief to Andhra Pradesh as its intensity decreases, Karunasagar said. He added that the storm is further expected to continue moving north-northwestwards, crossing Andhra Pradesh and entering neighbouring states, and may reach Chhattisgarh, Telangana or Jharkhand.
However, rainfall is expected to continue across 18 coastal and adjacent districts in Andhra Pradesh. Eleven districts are under red alert (likely to see extremely heavy rainfall), five under orange (very heavy rainfall) and two under yellow alert (heavy rainfall). Heavy rainfall is expected to continue at isolated places in a few districts on Thursday, October 29, said an IMD official.
According to an official estimate shared by the State Disaster Management Authority, 764 villages with a combined population of 2,78,000 have been affected in the coastal and adjacent districts. So far, 58,000 people have been evacuated and are being housed in 1,000 relief camps.
The death toll from cyclone Arnab remains unclear, with conflicting reports from authorities. During a press briefing on the afternoon of October 28, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Inspector General Narendra Singh Undela reported three deaths in Andhra Pradesh. However, in a letter issued earlier that day, the state's chief minister said no deaths had been reported. Official clarification is awaited.
“No loss of life has been reported so far due to Cyclone Arnab. The advance precautionary measures taken by the administrative machinery helped prevent casualties,” Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said in a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah apprising him of the situation.
There were reports of a 65-year-old man dying in Visakhapatnam after allegedly coming into contact with snapped live electrical wires, but it has not been officially confirmed.
He noted that, according to a preliminary assessment that is still being verified, about 180 houses have been reported damaged and over 220 trees have fallen on state roads. Road surface damage has been reported at a few places in the coastal areas, and power supply has been disrupted in parts of the coastal districts.
But, in a major blow to farmers, crops on about 70,900 hectares, mainly paddy, and horticulture crops on about 10,450 hectares have been reported inundated or damaged, according to Naidu. These figures are likely to change as the assessment teams complete their surveys, and a detailed assessment will be shared with the Government of India, the Chief Minister noted.
He further wrote that medical teams, ambulances, relief supplies, power restoration crews and road clearance teams have been positioned in the affected districts, with district collectors leading operations on the ground. Sixteen National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams and 11 State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams have been deployed.
Meanwhile, restrictions on fishing, schooling, and travel continue as precautionary measures. The state fisheries department has called back around 30,000 fishing boats and banned fishing until Thursday. District administrations have announced that schools will remain closed in the affected districts.
Flight operations at Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada and Rajahmundry airports have been suspended since Tuesday, according to the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation. Further, railway authorities have cancelled 64 train services scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, which connect coastal Andhra Pradesh with neighbouring Telangana and Odisha.