Crews, equipment and field coordination
The teams departed Monday afternoon and arrived around midnight. Their equipment includes 15 Palfinger trucks with cranes and earth augers, plus 25 tractor-mounted drilling machines. Drivers and equipment operators accompanied the vehicles.
Karnataka has organized the linemen into 10-member teams, each led by a junior engineer or assistant engineer. Executive engineers from each operation and maintenance circle will oversee field activities and coordinate with the crews.
Each Karnataka electricity supply company has designated a nodal officer to communicate with officials in Andhra Pradesh. Those contacts will help match workers and machinery to local needs, track repairs and address operational requirements. Karnataka has also provided contingency funding for the crews' travel, lodging and other essential expenses.
Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar pledged Karnataka's full cooperation in a conversation with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. He stressed the need to restore an essential service quickly and ease hardship in affected communities. Karnataka Energy Minister K.J. George, who is supervising the assistance operation, said the crews would work closely with Andhra Pradesh officials and use the machinery to speed up restoration.
Thousands of poles uprooted
More than 15,000 electricity poles were uprooted in cyclone-affected areas, Naidu said on October 30, 2026, according to India Today. He also reported that about 12,500 trees had fallen in West Godavari district alone.
Andhra Pradesh Energy Minister G. Ravi Kumar put power infrastructure losses at roughly Rs 500 crore, while cautioning that the estimate was preliminary and the department was still assessing the damage. He said winds reached nearly 160 km/h and the storm affected almost every village in East Godavari, West Godavari, Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, Konaseema and Kakinada districts.
The state's broader preliminary damage report, submitted to India's central government, estimated losses from the very severe cyclonic storm at Rs 4,600 crore, Naidu said on October 30. He reported seven deaths and announced compensation of Rs 5 lakh for each bereaved family.
State preparations and neighboring support
Before the cyclone, Andhra Pradesh had positioned around 20,000 electricity poles, transformers and conductors at locations including mandal headquarters and sites near substations, The New Indian Express reported. Nearly 2,500 workers from the Andhra Pradesh Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (APSPDCL) were also mobilized to help the Andhra Pradesh Eastern Power Distribution Company Limited (APEPDCL) in affected areas.
Other neighboring states committed assistance as well. On October 30, 2026, Ravi Kumar said Telangana had agreed to deploy about 500 to 600 personnel, while Tamil Nadu had agreed to provide teams and the materials needed for power restoration.
Karnataka described its contribution as part of its "Neighbour First" approach. Its crews will supplement Andhra Pradesh's repair efforts, with designated officers and electricity authorities from both states coordinating their deployment as work proceeds.
