Cyclone Arnab Claims 9 Lives, Devastates Crops In 14 AP Dists
Crops over 2,24,489 hectares in 14 districts were damaged, affecting 3.45 lakh farmers, while roads, power lines and homes also suffered.
By : MD Ilyas
Update: 2026-10-28 18:03 GMT
VIJAYAWADA: Cyclone Arnab crossed the coast between Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coast early on Wednesday, leaving a trail of destruction with uprooted trees and electric poles and damaged roads, while nine persons were killed in related incidents including electrocution.
Crops over 2,24,489 hectares in 14 districts were damaged, affecting 3.45 lakh farmers, while roads, power lines and homes also suffered.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu wrote to Union home minister Amit Shah seeking a visit by a Central team to assess the extent of damage caused by the cyclone while detailing the damage caused by the cyclone, said standing crops, including paddy, suffered damage over thousands of hectares..
Close after the cyclone Arnab devastated Andhra Pradesh, another system was seen brewing up in the Bay of Bengal, according to the weatherman.
The Indian Railways, meanwhile, cancelled several trains including those originating from Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam, Kakinada and Narasapur.
Flight services were either cancelled or diverted for the second consecutive day on Wednesday at the Vijayawada, Bhogapuram and Rajamahendravaram. Air India too cancelled its Delhi-Vijayawada-Delhi service while Air India Express cancelled its flights connecting Visakhapatnam, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Vijayawada, Varanasi-Bangkok and Bangkok-Visakhapatnam. Alaska Air cancelled the Delhi-Bhogapuram-Delhi service.
With roads and bridges devastated at several places road transport too took a heavy toll. The services were disrupted to various destinations.
Due to rough sea conditions, a cargo ship was stranded off Antarvedi coast in the Bay of Bengal sea.
The cyclone crossed with winds of 125–135 kmph, gusting to 150 kmph. Of 688 mandals, 317 recorded rainfall above 10 mm. Visakhapatnam received the highest average rainfall at 236.7 mm, followed by Vizianagaram at 212.1 mm and Anakapalli at 209.2 mm. Gopalapatnam recorded 323.2 mm.
Agricultural crops across 2,11,726 hectares in 154 mandals were inundated, including paddy over 2,09,460 hectares. Horticulture losses spanned 12,763 hectares. The damage hit 3,18,704 agricultural and 25,914 horticultural farmers. West Godavari reported the highest crop loss at 76,176 hectares, followed by Konaseema (44,232), Kakinada (42,222), East Godavari (29,866) and Krishna (22,339).
Around 82 per cent of paddy in West Godavari, 75 per cent in Konaseema and 48 per cent in Kakinada was inundated. With kharif paddy at grain filling and harvesting stages, farmers face risks of lodging, sprouting and discolouration. Harvested stocks are also vulnerable. Banana plantations were flattened, vegetable fields inundated, and coconut, papaya, flower and betel leaf crops damaged.
The roads and buildings department reported damage to 126 km of roads, with restoration estimated at ₹59.45 crore — ₹9.18 crore for temporary repairs and ₹50.27 crore for permanent works. Damage included culverts, scouring and one road breach. Of 1,058 trees uprooted along R&B roads, 859 were cleared, and traffic restored at 20 of 57 affected locations. The department set up 53 control rooms, appointed 57 nodal officers, identified 614 vulnerable sites and kept 550 JCBs and 596 power saws ready.
An 11 year old boy died when a wall collapsed at Gudivada village in Tenali mandal, Guntur district. In Bhimavaram, West Godavari district, Ch. Kishore, 45, and Rambabu were killed when a tree and an electric pole fell on them. In Konaseema district, K. Venkayamma died when a thatched house collapsed in Sakenetipalle mandal, while another woman was killed at Prakashpuram. Two women died after electric poles fell on them in Visakhapatnam city; one was identified as K. Madhavi.
In Anakapalli district, Bindu, 55, died after stepping on a live wire in Yellamanchili town. Earlier, A. Pinni Devudu, 65, had died of electrocution at Mangalapalem in Visakhapatnam city.
Power restoration was under way. By 5 pm Wednesday, APCPDCL had restored supply to 707 of 857 affected villages, with the rest expected by night. Repairs were completed at 135 of 156 substations, while 57 of 65 feeders were restored. The corporation deployed 399 teams with 1,995 personnel. Preliminary damage to the distribution system was put at ₹1.57 crore.
Later, addressing a press conference at Real Time Governance System (RTGS) in the Secretariat, Naidu said special attention was given to ensuring uninterrupted drinking water supplies and sanitation in the affected areas. As part of relief measures, he said 25 kg of rice will be distributed to families whose houses were inundated and 50 kg rice to affected weavers and fishermen. Besides one kilogram each of onion, cooking oil and red gram dal will be distributed to affected people. As part of financial assistance for people who took refuge in the cyclone shelters, he said Rs 1,000 per person will be distributed and the maximum assistance would be `3,000.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu wrote to Union home minister Amit Shah seeking a visit by a Central team to assess the extent of damage caused by the cyclone while detailing the damage caused by the cyclone, said standing crops, including paddy, suffered damage over thousands of hectares..
Close after the cyclone Arnab devastated Andhra Pradesh, another system was seen brewing up in the Bay of Bengal, according to the weatherman.
The Indian Railways, meanwhile, cancelled several trains including those originating from Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam, Kakinada and Narasapur.
Flight services were either cancelled or diverted for the second consecutive day on Wednesday at the Vijayawada, Bhogapuram and Rajamahendravaram. Air India too cancelled its Delhi-Vijayawada-Delhi service while Air India Express cancelled its flights connecting Visakhapatnam, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Vijayawada, Varanasi-Bangkok and Bangkok-Visakhapatnam. Alaska Air cancelled the Delhi-Bhogapuram-Delhi service.
With roads and bridges devastated at several places road transport too took a heavy toll. The services were disrupted to various destinations.
Due to rough sea conditions, a cargo ship was stranded off Antarvedi coast in the Bay of Bengal sea.
The cyclone crossed with winds of 125–135 kmph, gusting to 150 kmph. Of 688 mandals, 317 recorded rainfall above 10 mm. Visakhapatnam received the highest average rainfall at 236.7 mm, followed by Vizianagaram at 212.1 mm and Anakapalli at 209.2 mm. Gopalapatnam recorded 323.2 mm.
Agricultural crops across 2,11,726 hectares in 154 mandals were inundated, including paddy over 2,09,460 hectares. Horticulture losses spanned 12,763 hectares. The damage hit 3,18,704 agricultural and 25,914 horticultural farmers. West Godavari reported the highest crop loss at 76,176 hectares, followed by Konaseema (44,232), Kakinada (42,222), East Godavari (29,866) and Krishna (22,339).
Around 82 per cent of paddy in West Godavari, 75 per cent in Konaseema and 48 per cent in Kakinada was inundated. With kharif paddy at grain filling and harvesting stages, farmers face risks of lodging, sprouting and discolouration. Harvested stocks are also vulnerable. Banana plantations were flattened, vegetable fields inundated, and coconut, papaya, flower and betel leaf crops damaged.
The roads and buildings department reported damage to 126 km of roads, with restoration estimated at ₹59.45 crore — ₹9.18 crore for temporary repairs and ₹50.27 crore for permanent works. Damage included culverts, scouring and one road breach. Of 1,058 trees uprooted along R&B roads, 859 were cleared, and traffic restored at 20 of 57 affected locations. The department set up 53 control rooms, appointed 57 nodal officers, identified 614 vulnerable sites and kept 550 JCBs and 596 power saws ready.
An 11 year old boy died when a wall collapsed at Gudivada village in Tenali mandal, Guntur district. In Bhimavaram, West Godavari district, Ch. Kishore, 45, and Rambabu were killed when a tree and an electric pole fell on them. In Konaseema district, K. Venkayamma died when a thatched house collapsed in Sakenetipalle mandal, while another woman was killed at Prakashpuram. Two women died after electric poles fell on them in Visakhapatnam city; one was identified as K. Madhavi.
In Anakapalli district, Bindu, 55, died after stepping on a live wire in Yellamanchili town. Earlier, A. Pinni Devudu, 65, had died of electrocution at Mangalapalem in Visakhapatnam city.
Power restoration was under way. By 5 pm Wednesday, APCPDCL had restored supply to 707 of 857 affected villages, with the rest expected by night. Repairs were completed at 135 of 156 substations, while 57 of 65 feeders were restored. The corporation deployed 399 teams with 1,995 personnel. Preliminary damage to the distribution system was put at ₹1.57 crore.
Later, addressing a press conference at Real Time Governance System (RTGS) in the Secretariat, Naidu said special attention was given to ensuring uninterrupted drinking water supplies and sanitation in the affected areas. As part of relief measures, he said 25 kg of rice will be distributed to families whose houses were inundated and 50 kg rice to affected weavers and fishermen. Besides one kilogram each of onion, cooking oil and red gram dal will be distributed to affected people. As part of financial assistance for people who took refuge in the cyclone shelters, he said Rs 1,000 per person will be distributed and the maximum assistance would be `3,000.