Cyclone Arnab has moved on. The bill is now coming in. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said on Thursday, 29 October, that the very severe cyclonic storm has caused a preliminary loss of at least Rs 4,600 crore in his state — and he warned the number will grow once the full damage is counted.
This post is about the damage count and the relief work, not a repeat of the landfall story. The numbers below are the latest assessment figures, checked this morning. Where reports disagree, we say so.
Naidu flew over the Krishna and Godavari regions and then walked the ground at Cheyyeru village in Katrenikona mandal, Dr B R Ambedkar Konaseema district. He also addressed the media at Gachakayalapora village in Mummidivaram constituency. Konaseema and West Godavari are the worst-hit districts, officials said.
What the Rs 4,600 crore covers — and what it doesn’t
The Rs 4,600 crore is a preliminary estimate. It covers the damage counted so far: crops, trees, aquaculture ponds, homes, roads and power lines. Naidu told reporters the figure “will further inflate once the final pictures of the devastation emerge”. In plain words: expect it to rise.
He has briefed Union Home Minister Amit Shah, sent a preliminary report to the Centre, and said a central team would visit the state on Friday, 30 October, to assess the damage. That team’s report will shape any central aid.
For scale, normal life is slowly returning in most hit areas. Officials said 85 areas across 10 municipalities in eight districts were affected, and normalcy has returned in 71 areas across seven municipalities. A few pockets are still recovering.
Power damage: Rs 500 crore, inside the total
Here’s a point readers often get wrong, so let’s be exact. Energy Minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar said the state’s electricity infrastructure suffered at least Rs 500 crore of damage. That Rs 500 crore is part of the Rs 4,600 crore total — not on top of it. Adding them together to get Rs 5,100 crore would be wrong.
The power damage is visible on the ground. Around 8,000 electricity poles fell in Konaseema district alone. Naidu said power work will be finished quickly, with supply back by Saturday, and that Telangana has been asked to send 1,000 staff to speed up restoration. Help from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu — 2,000 more personnel — has also been sought, mostly for the Godavari region.
Telecom lines are being restored alongside power. Fallen trees are being cleared, and irrigation works are being protected so the next watering cycle isn’t lost too.
Farmers: what relief is promised
The farm damage is the part that hurts longest. Farmers told Naidu their paddy crop, due for harvest in about 15 days, took heavy damage. Banana plantations, coconut trees and aquaculture ponds were also hit.
Relief announced so far: Rs 1,500 for each coconut and oil palm tree that fell. Crop and horticulture compensation will be decided right after the damage count, and paid straight into farmers’ bank accounts. Farmers who took crop insurance in advance are covered through that route too — Naidu asked about insurance coverage during his field visit.
People returning from relief camps will get 25 kg of rice, a pack of essential goods, and cash help, per NDTV’s report of the announcements. Officials are still counting how many people that covers, so we haven’t put a headcount here — earlier camp numbers belong to the landfall days and would be stale now.
Trains: 36 cancelled, 30 diverted
Rain from Arnab swelled the Bahuda river in Odisha’s Ganjam district. The river crossed the danger mark at two railway bridges, and rail officials acted to protect passengers. On the Howrah–Chennai route, 36 trains were cancelled, 30 diverted and eight regulated or rescheduled, per The Hindu’s live updates this morning.
One conflict to flag: a Deccan Herald report carried a smaller count — nine trains cancelled and 14 diverted. That looks like an earlier or narrower count for a different stretch, not the full Ganjam disruption. We’ve used The Hindu’s 36/30 figure for the Howrah–Chennai route, since it’s the latest and matches the river-bridge cause. If you’re travelling today, check your train’s live status — these counts change as water levels fall.
Odisha, meanwhile, is dealing with its own flooding. Over 300 teams from disaster agencies were at work on Thursday in Ganjam and eight other districts, and a new Bay of Bengal system is being watched for a possible move toward the Andhra coast. That’s a watch item, not a forecast — no new cyclone has been named in the reports we checked.
Updated: 30 October 2026, 10:00 AM IST
Quick Read: CM Chandrababu Naidu’s aerial survey puts Andhra’s preliminary loss at Rs 4,600 crore; the figure is expected to rise after full assessment. Power infrastructure damage alone is at least Rs 500 crore — that’s part of the Rs 4,600 crore total, not extra. On the Howrah–Chennai route, 36 trains were cancelled and 30 diverted after the Bahuda river crossed danger marks in Odisha’s Ganjam district.
FAQ
Q: How much damage has Cyclone Arnab caused in Andhra?
A: A preliminary estimate of Rs 4,600 crore, per CM Naidu on 29 October. The figure is expected to rise after a full assessment and the central team’s visit.
Q: Is the Rs 500 crore power damage extra?
A: No. The at-least-Rs 500 crore power damage is part of the Rs 4,600 crore total, not in addition to it.
Q: Are trains running normally on the Howrah–Chennai route?
A: Not yet at the time of reporting — 36 trains were cancelled and 30 diverted after the Bahuda river crossed danger marks in Ganjam. Check live train status before travelling.
Also read: Cyclone Arnab aftermath: relief, schools closed (29 Oct) · Cyclone Arnab landfall, 28 Oct, Yanam · Delhi voters: SC–EC deadline extension
