Collectors on High Alert as Cyclone Arnab Approaches AP Coast

District administrations in the Godavari region remained on high alert on Tuesday as Cyclone Arnab intensified, with the storm expected to make landfall between Kakinada and Yanam, near Komaragiripatnam, between 2 am and 4 am on Wednesday.

Kakinada District Collector M.N. Harindhera Prasad said gusty winds and heavy rain were expected from Tuesday night until Wednesday morning. He urged people to remain indoors and avoid venturing outside.

Most APSRTC bus services in the Godavari districts were suspended as a precautionary measure. Services to ghat roads and coastal areas, including Bhadrachalam, Chinturu and U. Kothapalli, were stopped from Tuesday morning. Following instructions from the district collectors, RTC officials suspended services at depot level from Tuesday evening.

Kakinada depot officials said bus services would not be restored until the cyclone weakened and conditions improved on Wednesday morning.

East Godavari District Collector Keerthi Chekuri ordered the immediate closure of cinema theatres, wine shops and other commercial establishments as a safety measure.

Power supply was disrupted in Kakinada, Amalapuram, Yanam and several rural areas after trees were uprooted by strong winds. The fallen trees triggered panic among residents. At Indrapalem, a tree fell on a car, but no one was injured.

Electricity department personnel, with assistance from the police and fire services, were clearing fallen trees and working to restore power supply.