Cyclone Arnab weakens after Andhra landfall, crop damage crosses 80,000 hectares

UPDATE - follow-up to Cyclone 'Arnab' LIVE updates | Three killed in Andhra after landfall near Narsapur; storm weakens: Cyclone Arnab crossed the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts early Wednesday, making landfall about 20 km east-northeast of Narsapur before weakening from a very severe to a severe cyclonic storm. At least three people have died in cyclone-related incidents, including a man killed by a falling tree in Bhimavaram and two others electrocuted in Visakhapatnam and Anakapalli districts. About 57,000 people have moved to relief camps, and paddy on 70,900 hectares alongside horticulture crops on 10,450 hectares are under water or damaged.

Official Response

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah asking for a Central team to assess the damage and requested continued support from the NDRF and Central agencies. Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan reviewed relief work across districts from Bapatla to Srikakulam, noting that 93 roads were damaged in East Godavari district alone and advising residents to stay alert for two days. In neighbouring Odisha, Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said more than 30,000 people have been evacuated from low-lying areas, while Jharkhand ordered school closures till October 29 across multiple districts due to the rains.

Context

Tropical cyclones frequently form in the Bay of Bengal during the post-monsoon season, bringing destructive winds, storm surges, and heavy rainfall to India's eastern coastline. State and national disaster response forces routinely deploy personnel ahead of landfall to manage mass evacuations, clear uprooted trees, and operate relief camps.