The very severe cyclonic storm ‘Arnab’ continued to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast on Wednesday morning and is likely to complete its landfall by the afternoon, the State Disaster Management Authority said.
The cyclone began making landfall in the early hours of Wednesday and currently lies about 30 km from Narsapuram.
Heavy rain and gusty winds continued to lash the erstwhile undivided districts of Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari, West Godavari and Krishna.
Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) Managing Director Prakhar Jain urged people to remain alert. He said the cyclone had been crossing the coast for about two hours.
Authorities have reported no loss of life so far. However, strong winds uprooted trees and electric poles and damaged crops across the affected areas. Preliminary reports indicate that the cyclone hit the Godavari districts hardest. Floodwaters inundated low-lying areas in Dr BR Ambedkar Konaseema district, while fallen trees disrupted electricity supplies in some areas.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu held a teleconference to assess the cyclone’s impact and review relief operations. Around 32,000 personnel, from District Collectors to field-level staff, participated in the exercise.
The Chief Minister also convened a special review meeting with senior officials from the Electricity, Irrigation, Roads and Buildings (R&B), Agriculture, Urban Development and Panchayat Raj departments.
Naidu sought updates on crop damage and instructed officials to prepare preliminary estimates. He also directed them to communicate the state government’s response and relief measures to the Central government.
The Chief Minister praised the administrative machinery for working throughout the night and urged officials to maintain the same dedication until the cyclone’s impact subsides and normalcy returns.
Authorities have reported no casualties so far. “It is due to the proactive measures taken by the administrative machinery that we have been able to prevent any loss of life. Efforts must be made to minimise property damage as much as possible,” Naidu said.
He stressed the need to restore normalcy in cyclone-hit areas as quickly as possible and reassure residents about their safety. He also directed officials to make full use of the ‘Mana Mitra’ system, which allows people in affected areas to bring their concerns directly to the government.
Naidu instructed officials to clear trees blocking roads within the next two hours and remove fallen trees from national highways in real time.
He also directed electricity officials to restore power in affected areas as soon as the high-velocity winds subside.
The Chief Minister asked officials to ensure that cyclone shelters had adequate supplies of food, drinking water and medical facilities.
He further instructed them to prevent floodwater from entering agricultural fields and take measures to protect horticultural crops. “Implement robust measures to prevent breaches in the embankments of ponds and canals,” he said.
Naidu also directed officials to keep National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams on standby to respond to emergencies.