Cyclone Arnab crossed India’s east coast early Wednesday, and a disaster-response official said three people had died in Andhra Pradesh as authorities assessed damage to homes and infrastructure.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said Arnab crossed the coast between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, southwest of Yanam, from 4:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. ET Tuesday, Oct. 27 (2 a.m. to 8 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28 IST). The IMD classified the storm as very severe at landfall, with sustained winds of 125 to 135 km/h and gusts reaching 150 km/h.
Narendra Singh Bundela, inspector general of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), told reporters three people had died in Andhra Pradesh after the storm made landfall and 31 houses had been damaged. Reuters reported that a letter from Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to India’s home minister gave a preliminary estimate of about 180 damaged houses and cited more than 220 fallen trees. The two house-damage counts differed.
The state government’s request for central assistance cited damage to crops, roads and electricity infrastructure. An official statement cited by the Associated Press said at least 89,000 people had been evacuated before the cyclone arrived.
In a bulletin issued at 5:28 a.m. ET Wednesday, Oct. 28, the IMD forecast that Arnab would be downgraded to cyclonic storm status within six hours and to a deep depression in the following six-hour period. EconoTimes previously reported on the coastal crossing and rain alerts in Odisha.