Cyclone Arnab Causes Severe Flooding and Damage in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha

Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Arnab made landfall near Narsapur on the Andhra Pradesh–Yanam coast on 28 October, bringing winds of 125–135 km/h. The storm then moved into southern Odisha, where Patrapur in Ganjam district recorded 546 mm of rain in 24 hours, triggering floods and landslides that isolated roughly 70 villages in the district.

Local assessments by Youth for Social Development (YSD) between 30 October and 1 November identified 53 of the hardest-hit villages across nine blocks, with Purushottampur accounting for more than half of the affected households and hill villages in Mohana reporting the highest proportion of house damage. In Andhra Pradesh, the Godavari delta was reported as the most severely impacted area.

In Odisha, 313 rescue teams from the National Disaster Response Force, the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force and fire services were deployed, and 2,328 stranded residents in Ganjam were earmarked for airlift. Navy Sea King and Advanced Light Helicopter sorties delivered about 1,800 kg of food and drinking water to Sara Bhimpur on 31 October and 1 November. Search operations continued at Gidipabali, where 177 personnel were looking for 10 people missing after a landslide, with the effort scheduled to run until 3 November. The government announced an ex gratia payment of ₹4 lakh for each death.

In Andhra Pradesh, 290 relief centres provided shelter for 84,396 people, and the state also offered an ex gratia payment of ₹5 lakh per death. Power was restored in 4,881 of 5,404 affected villages. An Inter-Ministerial Central Team visited Konaseema, West Godavari, Kakinada and East Godavari between 31 October and 2 November. The state’s preliminary loss estimate rose to ₹4,526 crore on 2 November, up from ₹4,764 crore reported on 31 October.