Cyclone wreaks havoc across EG region

Rajamahendravaram: Cyclone Arnab wreaked havoc across the erstwhile East Godavari district, causing extensive damage to crops, roads, buildings, power infrastructure and residential areas, and bringing normal life to a near standstill. Thousands of trees and electricity poles were uprooted, paddy fields were submerged, houses were damaged and several public facilities were affected by the storm and heavy rain.

The worst affected were paddy farmers, whose crops were submerged just 10 to 15 days before harvest. Standing crops that had been expected to provide returns within a fortnight were flattened by strong winds and inundated by rainwater, leaving farmers worried about heavy financial losses. Banana plantations in Peravali and Tuni also suffered extensive damage.

Power supply remained disrupted across large parts of the region even on Thursday night. Thousands of electricity poles, transformers and overhead wires were damaged, making restoration a challenging task for the Energy Department. Officials and field staff have been working round the clock for the past two days to replace damaged equipment and restore supply.

Several areas continued to face drinking water shortages, while mobile phone connectivity, communication networks and internet services were partially affected.

The impact of the cyclone was visible in Rajamahendravaram and several surrounding towns and villages. Large trees and hoardings fell at different locations in the city, including a huge tree inside the premises of the Head Post Office.

A large hoarding collapsed in Kovvur, while trees were uprooted at Nallakulavaripalem. In Khandavalli village of Peravali mandal, electricity wires snapped, creating additional difficulties for residents. Traffic was disrupted at several places by fallen trees. A massive tree blocked the road at Kalavacharla, bringing traffic to a halt.

Another tree fell across the road leading to Adikavi Nannaya University, cutting off access to several villages. Trees also obstructed traffic on the Mandapeta bypass road, while a large number of trees fell along the Vemagiri road in Kadiam mandal.

In Edida village, a tree fell on a tiled-roof house, causing damage. Municipal and other government personnel worked on a war footing to remove fallen trees, clear roads and restore vehicular movement. Electricity department staff simultaneously took up repairs to damaged power lines and infrastructure.

Several parts of Rajamahendravaram were inundated, including Pushkar Ghat, Railway Station Road, RT Complex Road, the Hitech bus stand, Kambala Cheruvu, Alcot Gardens and Innispeta.

Water also entered some government offices in the Kotipalli bus stand area, affecting routine activities. Bus stations in Ravulapalem, Samalkot, Nidadavole, Amalapuram and Kakinada were flooded, with accumulated rainwater turning their premises into pools.

Bus services from all depots remained suspended throughout Wednesday. Limited services resumed on Thursday, depending on road conditions and the prevailing situation. The cyclone also caused considerable damage to fishing infrastructure along the coast.

Several fishing boats were damaged at Odalarevu, while some boats at Antarvedi were buried in accumulated sea sand. The Uppada road in Kakinada district suffered extensive damage due to the force of the sea waves, further affecting coastal movement and access.

With roads blocked, power supply disrupted and communication services affected in several places, residents faced difficulties in accessing essential services. Restoration teams continued clearing roads, repairing electricity infrastructure and assessing damage to public and private property.

The extensive damage to agriculture, transport, power supply and coastal infrastructure has raised concerns over the scale of losses across the erstwhile East Godavari region.

Farmers and residents are now looking towards the authorities for speedy restoration of essential services and timely assistance to rebuild their livelihoods.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Deekshitula Subrahmanyam

[email protected]

Deekshitula RV Subrahmanyam is a Staff Reporter with The Hans India, covering the erstwhile East and West Godavari districts, along with Alluri Sitarama Raju and Polavaram districts. A journalist with experience of over three decades, he began his career as a Telugu mofussil reporter in 1991. He writes extensively on politics, tribal affairs, rural development, tourism, development, and human-interest stories He is the author of the six-part Telugu prose Ramayana Sitarama Kathasudha and has received several literary and journalistic honours, including the JCI Young Writer Award, Vadlamudi Rammohan Rao Memorial Award and Madduri Annapurnayya Memorial Award.

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