CM Chandrababu Writes to Amit Shah, Seeks Cyclone Damage Assessment

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to send a central assessment team to the state at the earliest to evaluate the damage caused by Cyclone Arnab. In a letter to Shah, the Chief Minister highlighted the impact on agriculture, housing, roads and power infrastructure, stressing the need for a comprehensive assessment to extend assistance to affected communities.

The state government has deployed 16 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams and 11 State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams across 14 districts to manage rescue and relief operations. More than 28,000 people have been moved to rehabilitation centres as a precaution. Naidu said timely preventive measures and coordination among departments had helped avert loss of life so far.

Preliminary assessments indicate that around 180 houses have been damaged, while more than 220 trees have fallen across roads, affecting traffic movement. Heavy rainfall has inundated approximately 70,900 hectares of paddy fields, while horticultural crops across another 10,450 hectares have suffered damage. Konaseema, Kakinada, East Godavari, West Godavari, Anakapalli and Krishna are among the worst-affected districts.

The Chief Minister said control rooms and the State Emergency Operations Centre were operating continuously to monitor conditions and coordinate emergency response. Restoring electricity and drinking water supplies, along with providing relief to affected families, remains a priority. The government will submit a detailed damage report to the Centre after completing field-level assessments. Naidu also sought continued support from central agencies for relief and rehabilitation.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister conducted a teleconference with around 32,000 officials and field personnel on Wednesday to review the situation and assess the progress of relief measures. After monitoring developments until 1.30 am, he spoke with officials again at 6.30 am and directed them to prepare preliminary estimates of agricultural losses and communicate the state's response measures to the Centre.

Naidu instructed officials to clear fallen trees and restore road traffic within two hours, while ensuring that national highways remained free of obstructions. He also directed electricity officials to restore power once weather conditions became safe. Authorities were asked to provide food, drinking water and medical facilities at rehabilitation centres, prevent waterlogging in farmland, protect horticultural crops and take precautionary measures to prevent breaches in tanks and irrigation canals.