Cyclone Arnab has killed three people and left parts of Andhra Pradesh’s Godavari districts without electricity after heavy rain and winds of 115-120 kmph damaged homes, trees, power lines, fishing boats and plantations, while three fishermen remain missing in Kakinada district.
The cyclone affected Kakinada, Konaseema, Eluru, East Godavari and West Godavari districts from Tuesday night, with the worst impact reported in coastal and low-lying areas. The storm uprooted coconut and banana trees across extensive farm areas and caused severe damage in several mandals of Konaseema.
The deceased were identified as Chokka Kishore, 45, and B Rambabu, 34, from Bhimavaram in West Godavari district, and Kollu Venkayamma from Prakash Puram in Antarvedipalem, in Konaseema’s Sakhinetipalli mandal. Kishore died after a tree fell near a church in the town, while Rambabu was killed when an electric pole collapsed on Bondadavari Street. Venkayamma died after a hut collapsed in the strong winds.
The storm also disrupted electricity supplies across the Godavari districts for 20 to 24 hours. Trees fell in several locations, snapping power lines and leaving communities without supply. In Konaseema, the district administration deployed 2,000 personnel to clear fallen trees and restore electricity.
Sea water entered houses and other areas in Mayapatnam, Subbampeta and Uppada villages in U Kothapalli mandal. Flooding was also reported in Golilapeta, Indiranagar, Moothanagara and Mahalakshmi Nagar in Jagannaickpur in Kakinada. Residents in these locations faced the direct impact of the cyclone as water entered homes and coastal areas.
Officials initially found it difficult to move residents of U Kothapalli mandal to rehabilitation centres because some people, particularly fishermen, were unwilling to leave their homes. After sea water entered houses around midnight, residents sought help. Special buses were then used to move them to rehabilitation centres, with support from State Disaster Response Force and National Disaster Response Force teams.
Three fishermen from Kakinada district — Neelapalli Gangaraju, 42, his son Nelapalli Prasad, 17, and Donka Raju, 31 — went missing after entering the sea near Hope Island in the early hours of Tuesday. They had not returned when their families alerted district authorities and sought assistance.
A separate maritime incident occurred when an empty vessel based in the Philippines, carrying 20 crew members from Visakhapatnam, suffered an engine failure after being caught in the cyclone. The vessel drifted towards the coast between Bendamurlanka in Konaseema district and the Narsapuram coast in West Godavari district.
The Directorate General of Shipping and Indian Coast Guard officials were to undertake the rescue of the crew and guide the vessel back in the direction of the Philippines. The report did not provide further details on the condition of the crew or the vessel’s final position.
Odalarevu village in Allavaram mandal was among the areas that suffered extensive damage. Strong winds and rough sea conditions caused boats anchored at the Odalarevu mini harbour to collide with one another. Several fishing boats were severely damaged, including vessels belonging to fishermen from Odalarevu and neighbouring villages such as Uppada and Nakkapalli. The boats had been brought to the harbour for shelter.
The cyclone also severely affected Antarvedi, Allavaram, Katrenikona, I Polavaram and Mummidivaram mandals in Konaseema. Coconut trees and banana plantations spread across hundreds of acres were damaged, leaving farmers facing substantial crop losses. The supplied report did not provide an official assessment of the total agricultural or property damage.
Kakinada Collector Haredhira Prasad and Superintendent of Police Bindu Madhav visited several cyclone-affected villages and assured residents that relief measures would be taken. Restoration of power, clearance of roads and continued rescue and rehabilitation operations remained the immediate administrative priorities reported after the storm.
