Strong winds and heavy rain lashed parts of Andhra Pradesh as Cyclone Arnab moved towards the coastline, triggering rough sea conditions. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the cyclone began making landfall early Wednesday along the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts, bringing torrential rainfall to the region.
In Konaseema district, several trees were uprooted, disrupting movement across affected areas. Meanwhile, in Chennai, giant sea waves surged onto roads and into residential areas in Ennore. Follow Cyclone Arnab LIVE updates here.
Visuals showed strong winds and high tides at RK Beach in Visakhapatnam, with rough sea conditions prevailing in the area. A tree was uprooted near the AU College of Engineering for Women in Visakhapatnam, news agency ANI reported.
Deep Dive
Where was Cyclone Arnab expected to make landfall, and how strong were its winds?
What damage and flooding did Cyclone Arnab cause along the coast?
What precautions should residents take during Cyclone Arnab?
A flash flood warning has also been issued for districts in Andhra Pradesh, including, Bapatla, Guntur, Krishna, NTR, Eluru, West Godavari, Konaseema, East Godavari, Kakinada, Alluri, Anakapalli, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam and Parvathipuram Manyam.
{{/usCountry}}A flash flood warning has also been issued for districts in Andhra Pradesh, including, Bapatla, Guntur, Krishna, NTR, Eluru, West Godavari, Konaseema, East Godavari, Kakinada, Alluri, Anakapalli, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam and Parvathipuram Manyam.
{{/usCountry}}In Kakinada, police rescued four people stranded in floodwaters after heavy rain and seawater inundated the area, a district police press release said. The four people, who had reported for duty in the morning, remained stranded until night after floodwaters completely surrounded the place where they were staying, leaving them with no way to get out. They informed the police about their situation, following which a rescue operation was launched, news agency PTI reported.
Also Read: Cyclone Arnab puts Jharkhand on alert; IMD issues heavy rain warning for 3 days
Several low-lying areas and major roads across the city witnessed waterlogging following heavy rainfall. Officials warned that moderate to heavy rain was likely to continue through Wednesday.
Residents were advised to stay indoors unless travel was essential and to avoid standing beneath trees or near electric poles amid strong winds and adverse weather conditions.
Preparedness for Cyclone Arnab’s landfall
Amid landfall process, authorities in Andhra Pradesh stepped up preparedness measures to minimise its impact. A total of 2,131 cyclone shelters were identified across 20 districts, while 1,087 medical teams were placed on standby in areas likely to be affected.
Officials said 8,281 emergency beds and 1,274 ambulances had also been made available to ensure medical assistance and emergency response during the cyclone.
Authorities had moved people out of vulnerable areas and shifted 1,351 pregnant women to hospitals. The government had stocked two months' worth of essential commodities at 14,686 ration shops, while cyclone alerts had been sent to the mobile phones of 2.70 crore people.
In Odisha, schools had been closed in 16 of its 30 districts, while more than 30,000 people had been moved to cyclone shelters against a target of 48,000, a revenue department official said. Entry to sea beaches had been prohibited.
Schools were also closed in Jharkhand on October 28 and 29 as authorities prepared for adverse weather.
A yellow alert for heavy rain had been issued for Ranchi, Khunti, Simdega, Gumla, Lohardaga, Saraikela-Kharsawan, East Singhbhum and West Singhbhum for 24 hours from 8.30 am on October 28.
Trains, flights cancelled
In view of strong, gusty winds, the South Coast Railway had cancelled 24 trains scheduled for Wednesday, while the East Coast Railway had cancelled 22. The South Eastern Railway had also cancelled four trains, officials said.
Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo and Akasa Air also announced multiple flight cancellations amid disruptions caused by the inclement weather.
According to the latest IMD bulletin issued at 8:45am, the centre of “very severe” cyclonic storm Arnab is very close to the coastline and the landfall process will continue for the next two hours.