Amaravati/Bhubaneswar: Cyclone Arnab crossed the Andhra coast early Wednesday, leaving a trail of destruction with uprooted trees and electric poles and damaged roads, while two persons were electrocuted in separate instances, officials said.
The very severe cyclonic storm Arnab crossed the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts between 2 am- 8 am, before weakening into a severe cyclonic storm, the weather office said.
Odisha government has evacuated over 30,000 people to safety, with the entire southern region of the state remaining on high alert Wednesday. Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said the state expects the cyclone to affect all southern districts, with Malkangiri likely to be the worst hit.
“The cyclone is presently within Andhra Pradesh, and it will later in the afternoon touch Odisha,” Pujari said, adding that personnel and equipment had been mobilised at vulnerable locations and evacuation was continuing.
Also Read : Cyclone Arnab: Govt advises airlines to follow guidelines, inform passengers in Odisha
The government’s focus is on Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts, where people from low-lying and landslide-prone areas are being shifted to shelters, he said.
Schools and anganwadi in 16 of the state’s 30 districts remained closed for the day.
As many as 2,037 cyclone shelters have been kept ready, with arrangements for food, drinking water and other essential facilities.
The administrations in Kalahandi, Kandhamal and Nuapada districts are also on alert, the minister said.
“The cyclone crossed the Andhra Pradesh & Yanam coasts to the Southwest of Yanam near latitude 16.450 N and 81.90 E, about 20 km east-northeast of Narsapur, 40 km southwest of Yanam and 60 km southwest of Kakinada,” the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in an official release.
Many parts of coastal districts received heavy rainfall, some of them in excess of 200 mm.
In its wake, Cyclone Arnab left a trail of destruction, uprooting several trees and power poles, leading to power outages in several areas. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu directed officials to restore normalcy at the earliest in the affected districts.
Two people, including a 55-year-old woman, died of electrocution in separate incidents during Cyclone Arnab, officials said.
