Cyclone Arnab Aftermath: Andhra Pradesh Counts The Cost As Konaseema Plantations Flattened

Andhra Pradesh has begun tallying the damage left by Cyclone Arnab, which crossed the state's coast on October 28 as a very severe cyclonic storm packing winds of up to 135 km/h. At least three people were killed and roughly 180,000 residents had been evacuated across Andhra Pradesh and Odisha before landfall, according to disaster-management authorities.

The storm's heaviest blow fell on the fertile Konaseema district, where banana and coconut plantations were extensively damaged and uprooted trees and power poles knocked out electricity across large areas. State authorities have recorded thousands of damaged houses and huts, with tens of thousands of acres of crops hit. Early estimates put total losses in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

What happens next

Relief teams are clearing highways blocked by fallen trees and racing to restore power in Konaseema and neighbouring districts. The state government has outlined a recovery plan covering crop-loss compensation and house repairs, while the India Meteorological Department expects the weakening system to continue bringing rain inland over the coming days.

The scale of the agricultural damage, concentrated in one of the state's most productive farming belts, will shape the relief effort in the weeks ahead. Restoring power and reopening road links are the immediate priorities, but the longer task of helping farmers recover lost plantations will stretch well beyond the initial response.