Cyclone Arnab has caused widespread destruction in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. However, the situation in both the states is now slowly returning to normal. The flood waters in Ganjam and Gajapati districts of Odisha have receded, but around 700 people are still trapped in waterlogged areas. At the same time, 12 districts of Andhra Pradesh have been affected by the cyclone. The state government's preliminary assessment has estimated a loss of Rs 4,764 crore. Thousands of houses, roads and massive crops have been affected. A seven-member team of the central government has reached Andhra Pradesh to take stock of the damage. Here, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has directed the officials to speed up relief, rescue and rehabilitation works.

In Ganjam and Gajapati, the effect of flood is less, 700 people are affected now

Nine districts of the southern part of Odisha are worst affected by the cyclone. Among these, the level of damage was higher in Ganjam and Gajapati. More than one and a half lakh people have been affected in Ganjam and more than 30 thousand in Gajapati. Collector of Ganjam V. According to Kirti Vasan, the administration has evacuated 56,051 people to 367 relief camps. Food is being distributed at 370 places in the affected areas. However, around 700 people are still trapped in waterlogged areas. The work of delivering food packets to these villages through Navy and Indian Coast Guard helicopters has been completed. The administration says that enough food is available for the next 15 to 20 days. The relief is that the number of villages affected by waterlogging was 70 on Thursday, which reduced to 21 on Friday and only three on Saturday. As a precautionary measure, all schools in the district will remain closed till November 3.

National highways and rail services restored, electricity supply also improved

Odisha Transport Minister Bibi Jena said that the traffic on National Highway-16 connecting Kolkata-Chennai has resumed after the water level of the river has receded. Rail operations on this route have also become normal. Secretary of Water Resources Department Shubha Sharma while inspecting the gauge station of Rushikulya river said that the water level of the river has come below the danger mark. At present there is no immediate threat of flooding, although it may take a few more days to drain water from low-lying areas. Repair work of roads, bridges, encuts and embankments has been started in the affected areas. Hinjili-Bhanjnagar, Sorada-Daringbari and Mohana-Brahmapur routes are being given priority for delivery of relief materials. More than 100 personnel of NDRF, ODRAF, Police and Fire Department are engaged in rescue operations in Ganjam and Gajapati. According to the Electricity Distribution Company, power supply has been restored to 1.7 lakh consumers in southern Odisha. In eight districts, 96.32 percent restoration work has been completed and all 130 affected primary substations have been re-commissioned. In Malkangiri, Baudh and Raigarh, power supply has been fully restored, while in Ganjam, 93 per cent restoration has not been completed.

Damage in 12 districts of Andhra Pradesh, initial estimate of Rs 4,764 crore

Cyclone Arnab has affected life and infrastructure in 12 districts of Andhra Pradesh. The state government has informed the central team that the initial estimate of the loss is Rs 4,764 crore. According to officials, about 4.63 lakh farmers or 3.52 lakh hectares of agricultural land have lost crops. Apart from this, 23,383 hectares of horticultural crops have also been damaged. About 2,500 kilometers of roads and more than 7,000 houses have been damaged due to the impact of the cyclone. The power system has also been extensively damaged. Dr. BR Ambedkar Konsima and West Godavari districts are among the most affected areas. The government has made a comprehensive assessment of the damage and has expedited the process of rehabilitating the affected farmers and families.

A seven-member team from the Center reached to assess the damage

A seven-member central team led by Home Ministry Chittaranjan Das reached the state on Saturday to assess the actual damage caused by the cyclone in Andhra Pradesh. The team is visiting the affected areas on Saturday and Sunday to take stock of the damage. Earlier, Real Time Governance Society (RTGS) Secretary K. Bhaskar and Chief Executive Officer Prakhar Jain briefed the central team about the damage caused by the cyclone through a presentation in a meeting with officials. At the same time, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has held a review meeting with the officials and asked them to quickly complete the assessment of the damage in the affected areas and speed up the relief and restoration works. He also instructed to be alert and take necessary preparations in view of possible new cyclonic system along the coast of Andhra Pradesh on November 3. The Chief Minister has asked all the departments to share disaster related information through the media in an accurate, official and transparent manner and to restore all necessary services including electricity and roads soon.