The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said Cyclone Arnab had weakened and moved northward at a speed of approximately 15 kmph over the past six hours before transforming into a low-pressure area.
According to the weather department, at 11:30 pm on October 28, the centre of the system was located near Andhra Pradesh, adjoining southern Odisha, southern Chhattisgarh and northeastern Telangana.
Andhra Pradesh has suffered the most extensive damage from the cyclone. Heavy rainfall has prompted authorities to issue precautionary advisories across several districts, with the northern parts of the state, Kakinada, Konaseema and East Godavari districts receiving the heaviest rainfall.
The cyclone has caused significant damage to the state's electricity infrastructure. During a review meeting with the Chief Minister, Andhra Pradesh power department officials reported that approximately 6,000 electricity poles had collapsed in Konaseema district alone.
Hundreds of additional electricity poles have also fallen in Kakinada district and the northern districts of Andhra Pradesh.
In several coastal areas of northern Andhra Pradesh, electricity lines and wires have been completely damaged, triggering widespread power outages across villages and towns in the coastal belt.
To address the extensive damage, Andhra Pradesh has requested additional personnel and equipment from the Telangana government.
Ravikumar said he had spoken over the phone with Telangana Electricity Department Special Chief Secretary Naveen Mittal regarding the request.
He said the Telangana government had agreed to provide additional personnel and equipment to assist in restoring electricity infrastructure in the cyclone-affected areas.
The minister also said that thousands of electricity poles had been dispatched to the affected regions as part of precautionary measures. He assured that power supply would be restored within a few hours after the rainfall subsided.
The cyclone has also severely affected agriculture across the coastal districts and the Godavari Valley. Paddy cultivation in coastal districts, coconut plantations in Konaseema and banana cultivation and aquaculture in the Godavari Valley have suffered significant damage.
Heavy rainfall, strong winds and flooding have damaged crops spread across thousands of acres.
Farmers are concerned that the cyclone has pushed the state's agricultural sector into a major crisis. They were already facing difficulties due to inadequate rainfall earlier in the season.
According to farmers, paddy crops ready for harvesting across thousands of acres have been destroyed by the storm.
Officials estimate that the total area under paddy cultivation in Andhra Pradesh during the current Kharif season stands at 37.53 lakh acres. Of this, approximately 26 lakh acres fall within the cyclone-affected region.
Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, highlighting the extensive damage caused by Cyclone Arnab and requesting the deployment of central teams to assess the losses.
The letter stated that 16 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams and 11 State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams had been deployed across 14 districts to carry out relief and rescue operations.
According to preliminary estimates cited by the Chief Minister, 180 houses have been damaged and more than 220 trees have fallen on roads.
The letter also noted that roads had been destroyed at several locations in coastal areas and electricity supply had been disrupted.
The cyclone's impact has been particularly severe in Konaseema, Kakinada, East and West Godavari, Anakapalle and Krishna districts.
Naidu said a comprehensive assessment of the damage caused by the cyclone would be carried out before submitting a detailed report to the Centre.
He also urged the central government to continue providing assistance through the NDRF and other central agencies to support ongoing relief and recovery operations.
With extensive damage to electricity infrastructure, roads and agricultural land, authorities in Andhra Pradesh are now assessing the scale of the destruction as relief efforts continue across the cyclone-affected districts.
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