Cyclone Arnab: NDRF clears uprooted trees, debris in Andhra Pradesh's Yanam

National Disaster Response Force NDRF personnel are carrying out clearance operations in Yanam after strong winds associated with Cyclone Arnab uprooted several trees and electricity poles damaged houses and disrupted movement in the region with rescue teams working to clear fallen trees and debrisThe weather department reported that the cyclone was very likely to move northwestwards and cross the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam close to the south of Yanam as a very severe cyclonic storm with maximum sustained wind speeds of 115125 kmph and gusts of up to 140 kmph during the next 2 hoursThe very severe cyclonic storm Arnab is maintaining contact with the land surface and the wall cloud region of the northern sector has further entered into the land the IMD saidIt added that the centre of the storm was very close to the coastline and the landfall process was expected to continue for another two hoursThe very severe cyclonic storm ldquoArnabrdquo Pronunciation Ornab over Westcentral Bay of Bengal off Andhra Pradesh coast remains practically stationary during past 03 hours and lay centered at 0530 hrs IST of today the 28th October 2026 over the same region near latitude 164degN and longitude 820degE about 30 km east of Narsapur Andhra Pradesh 45 km southsouthwest of Yanam Puducherry UT 70 km southsouthwest of Kakinada Andhra Pradesh 90 km eastnortheast of Machilipatnam Andhra Pradesh and 170 km eastnortheast of Bapatla Andhra Pradesh It is very likely to move northwestwards and cross Andhra Pradesh amp Yanam coasts between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam close to south of Yanam as a very severe cyclonic storm with the maximum sustained wind speed of 115125 kmph gusting to 140 kmph during next 2 hours Very severe cyclonic storm ldquoArnabrdquo is continuing to interact with the land surface and the Wall cloud region of northern sector has further entered into the land Centre of Severe cyclonic storm is very close to the coast line and the landfall process will continue during next 2 hoursmdash India Meteorological Department Indiametdept October 28 2026The IMD had earlier warned that the rear portion of the wall cloud region would enter the coastal area to complete the landfall process as strong winds heavy rainfall and rough sea conditions affected several coastal districtsThe impact of Cyclone Arnab was also severe in Machilipatnam where strong gusty winds and heavy rainfall intensified from Tuesday nightElectricity poles and trees were wiped out while the town remained without electricity from Tuesday night Incessant rain and strong winds brought normal life to a standstill with lowlying areas inundated and several roads waterloggedSeveral areas of Andhra Pradeshs Konaseema district were also affected by strong winds and heavy rainfall with multiple trees uprooted and fallen disrupting movement in affected areasThe Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority APSDMA has been tracing the cyclones movement and impact on coastal districts over the past 24 hoursThe cyclones impact was also reported in Kakinada where trees were uprooted and power lines snapped at several locations In Visakhapatnam heavy rain and gusty winds destroyed trees and blocked Beach Road and SeethammadharaIn Visakhapatnam strong winds and high tides were witnessed at RK Beach pushing police to restrict public entry as a precautionary measure Fishermen were advised not to venture into the sea while a tree was uprooted near the AU College of Engineering for Women due to strong windsHeavy rain accompanied by thunder lightning and gusty winds also flogged Vijayawada and surrounding areas Several lowlying areas and main roads were waterlogged and officials warned that moderate to heavy rainfall could continueAndhra CM Chandrababu Naidu Reviews Cyclone Relief MeasuresAndhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday reviewed cyclone relief and restoration measures through a teleconference with around 32000 officials and fieldlevel personnel directing authorities to restore road connectivity and electricity ensure essential supplies at shelters and minimise public inconvenienceNaidu sought preliminary assess of crop damage and directed officials to clear fallen trees restore traffic within two hours and coordinate relief operations until normalcy returns The government said no loss of life had been reported so farThe state had prepared 2199 cyclone shelters deployed 12 NDRF and 10 SDRF teams across 14 districts and kept medical teams ambulances emergency beds and essential supplies readyMeanwhile Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari reviewed preparedness at the State Emergency Operation Centre stressing that the priority was to ensure zero casualties as the cyclone moved towards Andhra PradeshFlight operations were disturbed at Visakhapatnam Vijayawada and Rajahmundry with several airlines cancelling services The Ministry of Civil Aviation advised passengers to check flight status before leaving for airports and directed airlines to inform travellers about cancellations delays and applicable rebooking and refund optionsWith inputs from ANI