Cyclone Arnab kills 3 in Andhra Pradesh, 31 houses damaged

• Cyclone Arnab kills three people and damages 31 houses in Andhra Pradesh.

• Around 57,000 people evacuated to relief camps in the state as heavy rain and strong winds continue.

• NDRF deploys 39 teams across Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and neighbouring regions.

Cyclone Arnab has killed three people and damaged 31 houses in Andhra Pradesh, which has borne the brunt of the storm, a senior National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) officer said on Wednesday.

NDRF Inspector General Narendra Singh Bundela said disaster response teams from the Centre, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha were preparing to deal with continued rainfall in the two states and adjoining areas.

The cyclone made landfall near Yanam in Puducherry and weakened from a very severe cyclonic storm to a severe cyclonic storm, Bundela said. It was expected to weaken further into a cyclonic storm and then a deep depression by Wednesday evening.

“North of Andhra Pradesh and the southern part of Odisha have been the most affected due to Cyclone Arnab. Strong winds and rainfall are being witnessed in a few districts of the two states,” he said.

Preliminary reports indicated that trees had been uprooted and 31 houses of various types damaged in Andhra Pradesh, where three people had died. Odisha had not suffered a comparable impact, according to the initial assessment.

Bundela said 39 NDRF teams had been deployed across Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and neighbouring Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Puducherry, Telangana and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Four additional NDRF teams were sent to Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday night, he added.

Around 57,000 people had been moved to relief camps in Andhra Pradesh, while 38 people were evacuated from Yanam on Tuesday night.