Cyclone Arnab weakens after Andhra landfall, leaving three dead and widespread damage

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 about 20 km east-northeast of Narsapur on Wednesday, leaving three people dead in the State.

Damage And Relief

The India Meteorological Department said the storm weakened from a very severe to a severe cyclonic storm after its landfall was complete by 8.30 a.m. About 57,000 people have been moved to relief camps by the NDRF. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking a Central team to assess the damage, noting that paddy on about 70,900 hectares and horticulture crops on 10,450 hectares are under water or damaged, while about 180 houses and 93 roads in East Godavari district alone have been hit. Thirty-eight flights at Visakhapatnam airport and 17 at Vijayawada airport were cancelled.

Regional Impact

Garividi in Vizianagaram district recorded 26 cm of rain, and Machilipatnam recorded winds of 96 kmph. Visakhapatnam Collector Abhishikth Kishore said about 80 percent of power and water supply in the district has been restored. In Odisha, Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said more than 30,000 people have been moved out of low-lying areas, with Malkangiri expected to be the worst hit among southern districts as the system moves north-west.

Context

Severe cyclonic storms routinely bring heavy rains, destructive winds, and storm surges to India's eastern coastline during the monsoon and post-monsoon months. State and national disaster response forces coordinate mass evacuations and relief operations to minimize casualties ahead of such landfalls.