Gale Storm Devastates Kurnool, Nandyal Districts, Knocks Out Power
24 May 2026 1:17 PM IST24 May 2026 1:17 PM IST
Officials estimate that over 2,000 large trees were uprooted across the affected regions
A huge tree that fell across the road near the Income Tax office in N.R. Peta area of Kurnool town, disrupting traffic movement on Sunday.
KURNOOL: A sudden and intense gale storm wreaked havoc across Kurnool and Nandyal districts on Saturday night, leaving thousands of residents without power for nearly 12 hours and widely destroying infrastructure, public property, and crops.
The storm, accompanied by strong winds and moderate rainfall, began around 7:30 pm in Kurnool town and continued past midnight. Several key localities, including Ashok Nagar, Amma Hospital area, Ballari Bypass, Orvakal Road, and Joharapuram, witnessed large-scale damage, as powerful winds uprooted over 2,000 trees and brought normal life to a standstill.
Apart from Kurnool, the storm severely affected Nandyal, Adoni, and Yemmiganur towns. Electricity supply got disrupted from around 7 p.m. in most areas. It could only be restored after 6 a.m. on Sunday. In several localities, power remained unavailable until 10 a.m. Residents had to endure a hot and humid night without electricity.
Lack of water supply hit many apartment complexes, as electric motors could not be operated.
In a tragic incident in Kurnool town, an electricity pole collapsed on an auto-rickshaw, resulting in one fatality. According to officials, nearly 500 electricity poles have suffered damage across Kurnool and Nandyal districts. “We have never witnessed such large-scale damage even during severe cyclones. The destruction this time is unprecedented,” said a deputy engineer from the Electricity department in Kurnool.
Authorities launched power restoration efforts immediately, prioritising power supply to residential areas in Adoni, Nandyal, and Yemmiganur. “Our teams are working round the clock. We aim to restore damaged poles and transformers in agricultural fields by Monday evening,” said an assistant engineer from Yemmiganur.
Municipal authorities faced a daunting task, as fallen trees blocked several major roads and disrupted traffic throughout the night. “Clearing operations continued till 10 am on Sunday. Even trees aged over 40 years got uprooted due to the force of winds,” said an official from the Kurnool Municipal Corporation.
Farmers bore the brunt of the storm, with extensive crop damage reported across several mandals. In Pyapili mandal of Nandyal district, banana farmer Kanchili Veerabhadra said his entire five-acre crop got flattened. “The crop was just one-and-a-half months away from harvest. This loss has left me devastated,” he said.
Apart from bananas, crops such as mango and papaya also suffered heavy damage, raising concerns among farmers about mounting losses.
Meteorological department recorded 20 mm of rainfall in Kurnool during the storm. Officials said impact of the weather system extended even to parts of Kadapa district, where strong winds on Saturday night caused power outages in Maidukur, Kamalapuram and nearby villages.
“We are assessing the damage across Rayalaseema districts. Preliminary reports indicate significant losses to both infrastructure and agriculture owing to Saturday’s storm and severe hot weather over the past two to three days,” said S. Mahaboob Basha, DE (Operations), Electricity department.
Apart from Kurnool, the storm severely affected Nandyal, Adoni, and Yemmiganur towns. Electricity supply got disrupted from around 7 p.m. in most areas. It could only be restored after 6 a.m. on Sunday. In several localities, power remained unavailable until 10 a.m. Residents had to endure a hot and humid night without electricity.
Lack of water supply hit many apartment complexes, as electric motors could not be operated.
In a tragic incident in Kurnool town, an electricity pole collapsed on an auto-rickshaw, resulting in one fatality. According to officials, nearly 500 electricity poles have suffered damage across Kurnool and Nandyal districts. “We have never witnessed such large-scale damage even during severe cyclones. The destruction this time is unprecedented,” said a deputy engineer from the Electricity department in Kurnool.
Authorities launched power restoration efforts immediately, prioritising power supply to residential areas in Adoni, Nandyal, and Yemmiganur. “Our teams are working round the clock. We aim to restore damaged poles and transformers in agricultural fields by Monday evening,” said an assistant engineer from Yemmiganur.
Municipal authorities faced a daunting task, as fallen trees blocked several major roads and disrupted traffic throughout the night. “Clearing operations continued till 10 am on Sunday. Even trees aged over 40 years got uprooted due to the force of winds,” said an official from the Kurnool Municipal Corporation.
Farmers bore the brunt of the storm, with extensive crop damage reported across several mandals. In Pyapili mandal of Nandyal district, banana farmer Kanchili Veerabhadra said his entire five-acre crop got flattened. “The crop was just one-and-a-half months away from harvest. This loss has left me devastated,” he said.
Apart from bananas, crops such as mango and papaya also suffered heavy damage, raising concerns among farmers about mounting losses.
Meteorological department recorded 20 mm of rainfall in Kurnool during the storm. Officials said impact of the weather system extended even to parts of Kadapa district, where strong winds on Saturday night caused power outages in Maidukur, Kamalapuram and nearby villages.
“We are assessing the damage across Rayalaseema districts. Preliminary reports indicate significant losses to both infrastructure and agriculture owing to Saturday’s storm and severe hot weather over the past two to three days,” said S. Mahaboob Basha, DE (Operations), Electricity department.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
Next Story