Cyclone Arnab has killed five people in Andhra Pradesh and caused losses of at least Rs 4,600 crore, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said on Thursday, warning that the figure will rise as the full scale of the damage becomes clear. The very severe cyclonic storm crossed the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts early Wednesday, and its remnants are now pushing rain across several states.

Naidu addressed a press conference at Gachakayala Pora village in Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Konaseema district. He said he had briefed Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the impact, and that Shah promised to send a Central team to the state on Friday. Andhra Pradesh has already submitted a preliminary report on the destruction.

The human toll in Andhra is concentrated in the Visakhapatnam region and nearby districts. Officials identified the dead as Amrapinni Devmud and Kolamuru Madhavi from Visakhapatnam, Chukkala Kishore from Bhimavaram, Bhagyalakshmi from Anakapalli and Kollu Venkayamma from Sakretipalli. The Chief Minister announced a relief and compensation package for affected families, farmers, fishermen and businesses.

Odisha faces the most dangerous rescue operation. About 2,000 people have been cut off by floodwater in Ganjam district, State Chief Secretary Anu Garg said on Thursday. More than 200 villages across 22 blocks of Ganjam and Gajapati districts have been badly hit. A stretch of National Highway 326 linking Ganjam with Mohana has been washed away. The state plans to airlift around 100 villagers from Sanakhemundi, Asika and the Gopalpur area first. Indian Coast Guard helicopters are on standby, but rain and low clouds have held back flights.

A Coast Guard helicopter did begin rescuing stranded people in Ganjam on Thursday afternoon, the State’s Special Relief Commissioner told PTI. Fifty-four teams from the NDRF, the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force and the Fire Service are working on the ground. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said 17 Odisha districts were affected by the heavy rain, with Gajapati the worst hit.

Rivers have turned dangerous across the north Andhra belt. Srikakulam district recorded 4,094.2 mm of rainfall between 8 a.m. Tuesday and 8 a.m. Wednesday, against a normal average of only 136.5 mm, according to district administration data. Heavy inflows swelled the Vamsadhara, Nagavali, Mahendra Tanaya and Bahuda rivers. Floodwater from the Bahuda entered the border town of Ichchapuram, and a railway bridge there was inundated.

Rail travel has been badly disrupted. The swollen Bahuda forced the railways to cancel nine trains and divert 14 on the Howrah-Chennai route on Thursday, East Coast Railway said. The Bhubaneswar-Visakhapatnam Vande Bharat Express and the Visakha Express to Secunderabad are among the cancelled services. Water is flowing above the danger mark at two railway bridges between Ichchapuram and Jhadupudi. The railway said about 550 mm of rain in Ganjam pushed the Baghalati dam past its danger mark.

The storm also struck the sea. Indian Coast Guard helicopters airlifted 13 crew members from the Sigma Pearl, a Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier stranded off Antarvedi in Konaseema district, according to an official release. A helicopter operation to rescue the remaining seven was under way. The 180-metre ship had left Visakhapatnam for Singapore and was caught in rough seas. In Visakhapatnam, six fishing boats were damaged or sunk at the fishing harbour on the night of October 27 and 28 when gale-force winds hit the city.

Health authorities in Andhra were working to protect the most vulnerable before landfall. The health and medical department identified 4,228 pregnant women, including those due within two weeks and those with high-risk pregnancies, and shifted 3,100 of them to medical facilities. The results came quickly.

“Of the 3,100 pregnant women shifted to hospitals as a precautionary measure during very severe cyclonic storm Arnab, 367 deliveries were recorded,” the department said in a press release issued on Thursday.

Fire and disaster response crews have spent the last two days cleaning up. The Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Response and Fire Services Department has cleared more than 10,000 fallen trees, deploying 281 personnel in 120 wood-cutting teams and 19 boat-rescue teams. The department recorded 3,072 calls, including 2,463 emergency calls, and 3,041 of the requests related to tree-cutting. Officials activated preparedness measures in 14 districts from October 27 to 29.

In Visakhapatnam, the city is still counting its losses. District Collector M. Abhishikth Kishore ordered all educational institutions closed on Thursday, and officials were told to speed up restoration of electricity, drinking water, sanitation, healthcare and road links. At least 554 people were staying in 15 relief centres across the district as of Wednesday. Civic body candidates who were campaigning for the November 1 polls have switched to relief work in affected neighbourhoods.

Residents in the city have been comparing the storm to Cyclone Hudhud, which battered Visakhapatnam in October 2014. Arnab was less severe and did not make landfall at the city, but strong overnight winds, uprooted electric poles, prolonged power outages and disrupted mobile connectivity brought back painful memories for many families. Residents said they spent sleepless nights and followed instructions to stay indoors.

Telangana has stepped in to help its neighbour. Telangana Deputy Chief Minister and Energy Minister Bhatti Vikramarka spoke to Andhra Pradesh Energy Minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar on Wednesday and offered full support. He said Telangana was ready to provide personnel and essential materials to restore damaged power infrastructure if needed. Ravi Kumar briefed him on relief operations under Naidu’s guidance and thanked the Telangana government. Telangana itself has not been spared. The India Meteorological Department’s Hyderabad centre forecast isolated thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds for 12 districts, including Warangal, Hanumakonda, Khammam and Mulugu.

The election calendar in Andhra has also shifted. The State Election Commission moved polling for the Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency and Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency elections from November 3 to November 5, because vote counting for the urban local body polls will take place on November 3. The commission kept the November 1 date for urban local body polls after assurances from district election authorities in the cyclone-affected districts.

Jharkhand is also feeling the storm. Heavy rain is expected in six districts, including Garhwa, Palamu, Latehar, Lohardaga, Gumla and Simdega, until 8.30 a.m. Friday. Gudabanda in East Singhbhum recorded 71.4 mm since Wednesday evening. The state government has ordered district officials to assess paddy damage and compensate affected farmers. Schools in several districts will remain closed through Friday.

The storm is not finished. The Indian Meteorological Department said what remains of Arnab had moved about 110 km south of Raipur in Chhattisgarh by late Thursday morning. Separately, a fresh low-pressure area has formed over the Andaman Sea. The IMD expects it to become a depression by about October 31, and it could move toward the Andhra Pradesh coast in the following days. Officials in Amaravati said it would most likely affect the state. Heavy rain could return to coastal Andhra on November 1 and 2, and one expert said another cyclone is possible, though it is too early to say.

Amit Shah spoke with the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry, Odisha and Chhattisgarh and assured them of every assistance. He said NDRF and SDRF teams had moved into action and were continuing rescue and relief operations on a war footing. For the families in Ganjam still waiting on a helicopter, and for the Andhra villages where the water has not yet receded, that assurance will be measured by how quickly the rescue boats and relief trucks arrive.