Visakhapatnam, OCT 29(AGENCIES): Nine people died in Andhra Pradesh as severe cyclonic storm Arnab battered the state’s coastal districts, uprooting hundreds of trees and electric poles, damaging houses and roads, disrupting power and communication networks, and destroying standing crops across large areas. More than 20,000 people were evacuated from coastal districts ahead of the cyclone’s landfall, reports The Times of India.
Two people died at Bhimavaram in West Godavari district. Ch Kishore (45) was killed when a tree fell on him, while Rambabu died after an electric pole collapsed on him. In Konaseema district, K Venkayamma died when a thatched house collapsed on her in Sakhinetipalle mandal. Another woman was killed in a similar incident at Prakashpuram in the same mandal.
In Visakhapatnam city, two women died after electric poles collapsed on them in Goshala and Balajinagar localities. One of the victims was identified as K Madhavi. A 55-year-old woman died on Wednesday morning after accidentally stepping on an exposed live wire outside her house in Yelamanchili town of Anakapalli district. Earlier, A Pinni Devudu (65) died of electrocution in Mangalapalem locality of Visakhapatnam after coming into contact with a snapped live wire. At Gudivada village of Tenali mandal in Guntur district, an 11-year-old boy died when an old wall, weakened by continuous rainfall, suddenly collapsed on him.
The storm crossed the coast near Yanam between 2 am and 8 am on Wednesday as a very severe cyclonic storm. The maximum sustained wind speed was 125-135 kmph, with gusts reaching 150 kmph. The system weakened from a very severe cyclonic storm to a severe cyclonic storm after crossing the coast.
India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the system is likely to move north-northwestwards over the next 48 hours and weaken gradually. It was forecast to weaken into a cyclonic storm within six hours and subsequently into a deep depression over the following six hours. Isolated heavy rainfall has been forecast in Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Parvathipuram Manyam districts on Thursday.
Konaseema was among the worst-affected districts, with winds reaching up to 130 kmph. The storm uprooted trees and electric poles, damaged paddy and horticultural crops, blocked roads and disrupted power and communication services. Paddy fields in parts of Konaseema were damaged, but the cyclone spared coconut plantations, offering some relief to farmers in the district.
“We expected massive devastation due to the cyclone, but fortunately, the damage is not as bad as we had anticipated,” said Ravi, a resident of Perurupeta in Konaseema. The damage to paddy fields was a concern, he said, but the survival of coconut plantations was a major relief because coconut is a commercial crop.
According to IMD, Garividi in Vizianagaram district recorded the highest rainfall, at 26 cm, between Tuesday morning and Wednesday morning. Anakapalli, S Kota, Vepada and Cheepurupalle recorded 25 cm each, followed by Bheemili, Mentada and Yelamanchili with 24 cm each. Gantyada and Ranastalam received 23 cm each, while Gajapathinagaram, Nellimarla, Visakhapatnam and Merakamudidam recorded 22 cm each. Vizianagaram, Chodavaram and Bondapalle received 21 cm of rain each, while Denkada recorded 20 cm. Several other parts of the state received between 10 cm and 17 cm of rainfall during the same period.
The cyclone damaged 126 km of roads across Andhra Pradesh, with Srikakulam accounting for 112 km and East Godavari for 15 km. Agricultural losses are also substantial. Crops were damaged across 2.24 lakh hectares in 14 districts, affecting around 3.45 lakh farmers.
Chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu has sought Union govt’s support in dealing with the devastation. He spoke to Union home minister Amit Shah on the phone and briefed him on the cyclone and its impact on the state. He urged the Centre to provide immediate financial assistance to farmers affected by the cyclone.
