Cyclone Arnab brings Visakhapatnam to a standstill

Cyclone Arnab brought normal life in Visakhapatnam to a near standstill on Tuesday, as strong winds and persistent rain disrupted road traffic, damaged the city’s green cover and triggered prolonged power cuts in several localities.

As weather conditions deteriorated through the day, shops and commercial establishments downed their shutters, while residents stayed indoors. Commuters struggled to reach their workplaces and return home.

The rain and strong winds began in the early hours of the morning, and intensified steadily as the day progressed. The worsening conditions forced businesses to close by afternoon, bringing commercial activity to a halt in several areas. With educational institutions already shut as a precautionary measure, parents were spared the additional concern of sending their children to school. However, employees and other people who had to travel for work faced considerable inconvenience amid the rain, gusty winds and traffic disruptions.

Trees uprooted, vehicles damaged:

The city’s tree cover bore the brunt of the strong winds, with uprooted trees reported from Seethammadhara, Adarsh Nagar, Lawson’s Bay Colony and Jagadamba Junction. In several instances, trees fell on parked vehicles, damaging cars and narrowly missing people.

A large tree fell on the boundary wall of a school in Ward 88 in Gajuwaka, damaging the wall. At Vambay Colony in Marikavalasa, a large tree was leaning dangerously close to a building, raising concerns among residents about the possibility of it falling on the structure. Residents contacted the authorities and sought the early removal of the tree to prevent any untoward incident.

Another large tree fell in front of the Lawson’s Bay Post Office, damaging a car. Similar incidents involving trees falling on vehicles were reported from other parts of the city.

The damage to roadside greenery was particularly evident along the NH-16 stretch between Old Gajuwaka and Hanumanthawaka. Several trees and branches along the route were damaged by the strong winds, leaving the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation’s (GVMC) Horticulture Wing with a challenging task of clearing the fallen debris and restoring traffic movement. Cranes were also kept on standby along the NH-16 to clear large trees that had fallen and could not be removed easily.

Waterlogging

The heavy rains and overflowing drains inundated roads at several locations, slowing down traffic movement. Many stretches of the NH-16 and its service roads were affected, with flooding reported on service roads between Thatichetlapalem and Old Gajuwaka.

Roads connecting Old Gajuwaka and New Gajuwaka witnessed severe waterlogging, making it difficult for motorists to navigate the inundated stretches. Similar conditions prevailed on the Malkapuram and Scindia routes, where water overflowing onto the carriageways restricted movement of traffic and forced motorists to use limited stretches of the road.

Prolonged power cuts

Power interruptions emerged as one of the major problems faced by residents during the cyclone. Several localities, including MVP Colony, HB Colony, KRM Colony, Seethammadhara, Sheela Nagar, Tunglam, Gajuwaka and Duvvada, experienced prolonged power cuts.

Police keep watch at beaches

Civic officials and other authorities remained on alert throughout the day, monitoring the situation and coordinating efforts to address the damage caused by the cyclone.

Police personnel were deployed at the beaches to prevent people from venturing into the sea and to keep them away from the potentially dangerous stretches.