Helping hand: On Cyclones Arnab and Murasu

Long-term preparedness and a swift response by authorities minimised casualties when the back-to-back cyclones Arnab and Murasu hit two places of the Andhra Pradesh coast. In Andhra Pradesh, damage from Cyclone Arnab, which made landfall on October 28 was estimated at roughly ₹4,526 crore. Initial estimates of the damage by Cyclone Murasu, which crossed the coast on November 3, indicate that about 52,500 hectares of standing crops were affected.

The State reported 12 deaths from the two cyclones. The first cyclone damaged nearly 90,000 hectares of standing crops in southern parts of Odisha. After preliminary on-the-spot assessment of flood-hit areas, the Union government is expected to soon release the first instalment of funds to the affected States.

Personnel from Karnataka, Telangana and Tamil Nadu have also gone to the rescue of Andhra Pradesh.