Cyclone Arnab Live: Storm weakens to deep depression, Andhra counts 2.24 lakh hectares of crop loss

Cyclone Arnab weakened into a deep depression over north coastal Andhra Pradesh late on Wednesday, a day after it crossed the coast near Yanam and tore through 14 districts. Andhra Pradesh is counting crop damage across 2,24,489 hectares, and Odisha says 17 districts have been hit.

Seven deaths have been reported in Andhra Pradesh, of which the state government has confirmed five. Follow this page for updates from the India Meteorological Department, the Andhra Pradesh and Odisha disaster management authorities and our reporters.

The Khordha district administration has barred tourists and fishermen from entering Chilika Lake as a precautionary measure in the wake of Cyclone Arnab. All passenger ferry services and tourist boat operations across the lagoon have been suspended, and local fishermen have moved their vessels to safe locations ashore, officials said.

Fibre boat fishermen in Tamil Nadu's Thoothukudi district resumed operations on Thursday, going back to sea after staying ashore for three days under weather warnings linked to Cyclone Arnab. Fishing activity in the region had been suspended as a precaution due to hazardous coastal conditions.

Candidates contesting the November 1 civic body elections in Visakhapatnam have shifted focus from campaigning to relief and restoration work after Cyclone Arnab's heavy rain and gales battered the city. Contestants from both the ruling alliance and the Opposition visited affected neighbourhoods to help residents and coordinate restoration of essential services, officials said.

The Vamsadhara river crossed the danger level at Kashinagar in Odisha's Gajapati district, recorded at 55.58 metres against the danger mark of 54.60 metres at 7 am Thursday, officials said.

The Gotta barrage in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh sounded a siren and issued a first flood warning, opening all 22 gates to release water, with inflow and outflow both at 56,272 cusecs. Downstream residents have been advised to move to safer ground if needed.

Heavy rain for three straight days has flooded several villages in Odisha's Ganjam district, with the Rushikulya river flowing close to its danger level of seven feet six inches at Asika, officials said.

Floodwater has entered Palakatu, Nuagaon, Tatabali and Suramani villages in Sorada block, cutting road connectivity to the town. Digapahandi, Sanakhemundi and Chikiti blocks were also affected, with the Ghodahada river rising and water entering Palaspur village.

The National Highways Authority of India deployed 32 route-patrolling vehicles, 31 ambulances, 35 cranes, 47 JCBs, 25 chain saws and 45 dumpers to clear cyclone debris from national highways between Eluru and Srikakulam.

Field crews cleared 149 fallen trees - 75 on the Siddhantham-Anakapalli stretch and 74 across north coastal Andhra - and one fallen pole, and patched about 1,350 potholes. Dewatering pumps and earthen drains were deployed to clear waterlogging on NH-16 and NH-516C.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu named the five people the state has confirmed dead: Amrapinni Devmud and Kolamuru Madhavi from the Visakhapatnam region, Chukkala Kishore from Bhimavaram, Bhagyalakshmi from Anakapalli and Kollu Venkayamma from Sakretipalli. Each family will receive Rs 5 lakh ex gratia.

Families whose houses were inundated will get 25 kg of rice, and fishermen and handloom households 50 kg. Those in relief camps will receive Rs 1,000 a person, capped at Rs 3,000 a family, and partially damaged houses Rs 10,000.

Farmers will receive Rs 25,000 a hectare for damage to paddy, cotton, groundnut and sugarcane, and Rs 15,000 a hectare for millets, pulses, maize, soybean, sunflower and tobacco. Horticulture assistance is Rs 35,000 a hectare for banana, turmeric, chilli and mango, and Rs 75,000 a hectare for betel leaf.

Naidu said the preliminary damage assessment would be submitted to the Centre on Thursday and that a virtual Cabinet meeting would take a decision on other compensation. He is expected to visit Konaseema or West Godavari district on Thursday.

About 15,000 electricity poles were uprooted across Andhra Pradesh. Naidu said supply had been restored in most districts, with complete restoration in the affected pockets of Konaseema and West Godavari expected by Thursday evening.

Road clearance, drinking water supply and sanitation work are continuing in the affected districts.

Visakhapatnam recorded 218 mm of rain in a day, Vizianagaram 180 mm, Srikakulam 140 mm and Krishna district 90 mm, the Chief Minister said.

The rain reduced the state's average rainfall deficit from 39 per cent to 27 per cent. Naidu said advance clearing of canal obstructions prevented breaches in irrigation tanks.

The India Meteorological Department said Arnab weakened into a deep depression at 11.30 pm on Wednesday. It lay centred over north coastal Andhra Pradesh and adjoining south Odisha, south Chhattisgarh and north-east Telangana, about 60 km south of Malkangiri in Odisha and 140 km south of Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh.

The system is expected to weaken into a depression by Thursday morning and into a well-marked low pressure area by the evening, the IMD said. It is being tracked by the Doppler radars at Gopalpur, Raipur and Sambalpur.

Agriculture Minister Kinjarapu Atchannaidu has asked the Centre for immediate financial assistance, telling Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan that crops on 2,24,489 hectares in 14 districts were submerged or severely damaged. About 34.5 lakh farmers have been affected.

Paddy accounts for 2,09,460 hectares of the 2,11,726 hectares of agricultural crop hit across 154 mandals. West Godavari is the worst affected with 76,176 hectares, followed by Konaseema with 44,232 and Kakinada with 42,222.

Seven people died in rain-related incidents across the coastal districts, The New Indian Express reported, including three electrocutions in Visakhapatnam and Anakapalli and a woman swept away by floodwaters in East Godavari.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said three people died in Visakhapatnam and one each in Anakapalli and Bhimavaram, and announced Rs 5 lakh to each bereaved family. The state has also announced input subsidy for damaged crops.

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said 17 districts were affected and Gajapati was the worst hit. As many as 17 blocks recorded an average rainfall of 100 mm or more in 24 hours.

The state has moved 43,827 people to 634 relief camps across eight districts and shifted 2,245 pregnant women to health centres, where 931 babies were born. Mahendragarh in Gajapati recorded 249.9 mm, the highest in the state.

The Central Water Commission warned of above-normal flood levels in the lower reaches of the Mahanadi, Baitarani, Brahmani, Indravati, Vamshadhara, Nagavalli, Sabari, Rushikulya, Daya and Bhargavi.

Small tributaries of the lower Godavari and east-flowing rivers may also flood, the commission said.

The IMD issued heavy to extremely heavy rainfall alerts for Srikakulam, Parvathipuram Manyam and Vizianagaram districts over the next 48 hours.

The Indian Express reported that heavy rainfall is likely in parts of the region for the next three days.

Schools remained closed in several Chhattisgarh districts, including Sukma, Narayanpur, Bijapur, Dantewada and Rajnandgaon.

Madhya Pradesh issued a heavy rain alert for 12 districts across the Jabalpur, Rewa and Shahdol divisions. The IMD has forecast heavy rain in parts of West Bengal until October 31.

Preliminary estimates put the number of electricity poles uprooted across Andhra Pradesh at about 15,000. In West Godavari alone, the district collector said about 4,000 trees were uprooted, blocking the Palakollu-Narasapuram and Bhimavaram-Narasapuram roads.

Four wards in Visakhapatnam were inundated, and fire and emergency teams attended more than 220 calls, mostly to remove fallen trees.

Operations at three airports in Andhra Pradesh were suspended during the storm, the Civil Aviation Ministry said. Bhubaneswar airport said flights were largely normal, though a nine-seater service on the Bhubaneswar-Jeypore-Visakhapatnam route was cancelled.

Flights from Chennai and Hyderabad to Bhubaneswar were routed over Raipur to avoid the affected Visakhapatnam airspace, airport director Prasanna Pradhan said.