Cyclone Arnab: 'Very severe' cyclonic storm continues to make landfall; Air India, IndiGo flights cancelled

Cyclone Arnab landfall continues along Andhra Pradesh coast

The IMD said the centre of the storm remained very close to the coastline during the landfall process. Its northern spiral band had moved further inland, and the process was expected to continue for another three hours. In an earlier update issued after landfall began, the department had said the process was likely to continue for another two hours.

The system was located over the west-central Bay of Bengal near latitude 16.4 degrees north and longitude 82.0 degrees east. It was around 30 km east of Narsapur, 45 km south-southwest of Yanam, 70 km south-southwest of Kakinada and 90 km east-northeast of Machilipatnam.

The cyclone was moving northwestwards towards the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts. Before landfall, the Met Department had said the system was moving west-northwestwards at 18 kmph and was about 90 km southeast of Kakinada, 170 km south-southwest of Visakhapatnam, 170 km east-northeast of Machilipatnam, 240 km east-northeast of Bapatla and 410 km southwest of Gopalpur.

“It is very likely to continue to move nearly west-northwestwards during next few hours, then northwestwards and cross Andhra Pradesh & Yanam coasts between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, close to south of Yanam as a very severe cyclonic storm with the maximum sustained wind speed of 125-135 kmph (and) gusting to 150 kmph during early hours of October 28,” the department had said.

The cyclone's faster movement had led the department to expect an earlier landfall, between 2 am and 4 am on Wednesday.

Heavy rain, strong winds uproot trees

Heavy rain lashed several places in Anakapalli, Visakhapatnam, Kakinada and Konaseema districts under the cyclone's influence. District collectors in Visakhapatnam, Kakinada, Konaseema and West Godavari reported heavy rain and strong winds, while officials said trees had been uprooted at several places.

Naidu had said powerful winds and gales would extend up to Krishna district, while districts from West Godavari to Srikakulam were expected to receive heavy rain. He said thick, dark clouds indicated the arrival of heavy rain and that some places between Krishna and West Srikakulam districts could receive extremely heavy rainfall.

According to the Chief Minister, cyclone damage could be greater in Konaseema, Eluru, West Godavari, Parvatipuram Manyam, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam and Kakinada. He said Srikakulam district was expected to receive 30 cm of rain, followed by West Godavari with 28 cm and Visakhapatnam with 23 cm. Several other places could receive more than 10 cm of rain.

Naidu appealed to people in low-lying areas to move to relief camps. He also advised residents of affected districts to cancel road and rail travel plans, remain indoors and avoid going out for nature's call in the morning. Coastal and seaside villagers were asked not to venture out during the cyclone, while power was to be cut in places experiencing heavy gales.

Flights cancelled amid adverse weather

Several flights were cancelled as heavy rain and strong winds affected Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.

Air India announced the cancellation of six flights on the Delhi-Visakhapatnam route scheduled for October 27. It also cancelled services on the Delhi-Vijayawada-Delhi sector for October 28.

Air India Express reported 13 cancellations, primarily affecting flights connecting Visakhapatnam with Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Vijayawada. The airline also cancelled its Varanasi-Bangkok and Bangkok-Visakhapatnam flights.

IndiGo suspended flight operations at Visakhapatnam, along with services at Vijayawada and Rajahmundry after 7 pm on October 27. The final number of cancellations remained provisional.

Akasa Air cancelled its Delhi-Bhogapuram and return services scheduled for October 28, while saying that all its other flights were expected to operate normally.

As Cyclone Arnab crossed the Andhra Pradesh coast with winds of 125-135 kmph and gusts reaching 150 kmph, authorities continued evacuations and emergency preparations. Residents were advised to remain indoors and alert, while airlines cancelled services because of the adverse weather.

Over 84,000 people moved to shelters

“Our idea is only one; not even losing a single life. Saving all lives is our priority. There is no need for people to panic but they have to take precautions,” Naidu said.

He said more than 84,000 people had been moved to shelters in affected districts. The government had identified 2,199 cyclone shelters and prepared evacuation plans that prioritised elderly people, children, persons with disabilities and pregnant women.

“We have identified 2,199 cyclone shelters and prepared evacuation plans, prioritising the elderly, children, persons with disabilities and pregnant women. Already, 2,360 pregnant women have been shifted to medical facilities,” Naidu said.

Food, drinking water, medicines and generators were being arranged, while control rooms were functioning round the clock. More than 13,000 police personnel were to be deployed during the cyclone.

“I appeal to everyone to remain calm, stay alert and cooperate with the authorities. Move immediately to designated shelters when advised. Fishermen must not venture into the sea until official clearance is given,” Naidu said.

Government prepares for power and communication disruptions

The Chief Minister called for crowdsourcing of information about uprooted trees and said the government was working to restore normalcy, protect assets and minimise suffering.

Citing estimates, Naidu said up to 15,000 electricity poles could be uprooted. The government was monitoring more than 36,000 mobile phone towers, while 8,400 personnel had been kept on standby to address power disruptions.

Naidu said the Nagavali and Vamsadhara rivers were expected to swell because of heavy rainfall. The government would monitor water flows during the cyclone, and drones had been arranged to deliver food and medicines to marooned villages.

According to the Chief Minister, agricultural crops across 7.16 lakh hectares and horticultural crops across another 16 lakh hectares were estimated to be affected by Cyclone Arnab.

Schools had declared holidays for Tuesday and Wednesday. Naidu said the government was using technology to track the cyclone and generate models to assess parameters such as the size of the storm's eye. He said the information would also be useful during future disasters.