Gottipati Ravi Kumar said Cyclone Arnab caused preliminary losses of about Rs 500 crore to Andhra Pradesh’s electricity infrastructure
West Godavari district was among the worst-hit areas, with 3,700 power poles uprooted
Around 1,700 personnel were already working on restoration, with 500 more being mobilised from state discoms and 500 from Telangana
Andhra Pradesh’s electricity network has suffered at least Rs 500 crore in damage from Cyclone Arnab, Energy Minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar said on Thursday in West Godavari district, according to PTI. West Godavari was among the worst-hit districts, with 3,700 power poles uprooted.
“The cyclone has caused preliminary losses estimated at approximately Rs 500 crore to the state's electricity infrastructure. A comprehensive assessment would provide a clearer picture of the extent of the damage,” Kumar said in a press release.
Around 1,700 personnel were engaged in restoration work, while 500 more employees were being mobilised from the state’s three power distribution companies. Another 500 electricity personnel from Telangana joined the operations. The scale of the response points to the wider disruption after the storm hit the Andhra coast and damaged supply lines across several areas.
Restoration Efforts Intensify
“The government was ensuring that there was no shortage of manpower, funds or equipment for the restoration effort. Officials have been directed to replace damaged electricity poles, repair snapped conductors and restore damaged transformers on a priority basis,” Kumar said.
Power supply was disrupted in nearly 400 villages. Several villages still do not have electricity and cellular telephony has been affected at multiple places. Narsapur and nearby villages, close to where the cyclone crossed the coast, suffered extensive damage to the electricity network.
Special teams were on the ground to fix the damage, with additional poles, transformers and other key materials sent wherever they were needed. Kumar told officers to shift crews to the next affected area once work in one place ended. He said the government aimed to restore power in cyclone-hit areas within 24 hours as emergency repairs were stepped up across the affected districts.
District Damage Survey
Kumar inspected the affected belt. He visited cyclone-hit areas in Palakollu, Bhimavaram and Narsapur, where electricity infrastructure, roads and agricultural fields were damaged after Cyclone Arnab. The field visit came as restoration crews worked to reconnect villages and repair core assets.
At the West Godavari district collectorate in Bhimavaram, he later went over the restoration plan and relief work with officers. Kumar told residents the government was taking all required steps to bring back essential services and help affected families.
Wider Cyclone Fallout
The storm’s impact has spread beyond Andhra Pradesh.
On Thursday, October 29, 2026, the Odisha Government sent over 300 teams from multiple disaster response agencies into flood-hit Ganjam and eight other districts for rescue work, officials said. Cyclone Arnab had caused damage across several parts of the state.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said Andhra Pradesh’s preliminary loss from Cyclone Arnab stands at Rs 4,600 crore. He surveyed the cyclone-hit Krishna and Godavari regions from the air.
Rail movement on the Howrah-Chennai line was hit after the swollen Bahuda river rose above the danger mark at two railway bridges in Odisha’s Ganjam district. Officials said 36 trains were cancelled, 30 diverted and eight regulated or rescheduled as a safety step for passengers.
Northern India saw a steep drop in daytime temperatures on Thursday. Delhi logged its coldest October day in four years as heavy rain swept the region while 'very severe' cyclonic storm 'Arnab' weakened. Dark clouds stayed over the capital through the morning, and the city recorded trace rainfall in the past 24 hours. The IMD issued red and orange alerts for thunderstorms in Delhi-NCR, Uttar Pradesh and much of north India for the next two days.
Maximum temperatures ranged from 20.6 degrees Celsius in Haryana's Karnal to 27.4 degrees Celsius in Punjab's Patiala. Delhi’s base weather station, Safdarjung, recorded 25.4 degrees Celsius, about 5.6 degrees below normal and the lowest October daytime temperature there since October 8, 2022. In Haryana, Ambala recorded 23.8 degrees Celsius, six below normal, while Karnal stood at 20.6 degrees, nine below average. Narnaul, Rohtak and Bhiwani recorded 25.5, 24.6 and 28 degrees Celsius, respectively. In neighbouring Punjab, Patiala recorded 27.4 degrees, three below normal, and Ludhiana, Amritsar, Pathankot, Bathinda and Faridkot registered 30.4, 30.6, 29, 31 and 34.9 degrees Celsius.
Heavy rain lashed West Bengal, Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh, while Odisha saw severe flooding, after Cyclone Arnab weakened into a deep depression on Thursday, a day after making landfall in Andhra Pradesh and the Yanam coast. The Met Office in Lucknow predicted a further drop of around 5-8 degrees Celsius in maximum temperatures across Uttar Pradesh on October 29 and 30. It also warned of gusty winds and thunderstorms in Lucknow, Unnao, Rae Bareli, Sultanpur and Amethi, with possible hailstorms in parts of western Uttar Pradesh on Friday. Rainfall activity is expected to decrease thereafter.
The IMD said the system weakened into a depression over south Chhattisgarh and adjoining south Odisha on Thursday morning and was expected to move northwards and weaken further into a well-marked low-pressure area by the evening. In Himachal Pradesh, light rain was reported at a few places while thunderstorms and lightning hit Shimla, Jubberhatti, Sundernagar, Kangra, Murari Devi and Palampur. The local meteorological centre issued a yellow warning for Kangra, Mandi, Shimla and Sirmaur on Friday. Kukumseri in Lahaul and Spiti recorded a low of minus 1.2 degrees Celsius. In Rajasthan, a fresh western disturbance brought a change in weather across several parts of the state. According to the Meteorological Department, an induced circulation over Punjab and adjoining areas was expected to bring rain and strong winds to parts of eastern Rajasthan.
