NEW DELHI, October 26 (Aalimi Nation) – Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan on Monday chaired a meeting of the National Crisis Management Committee to review preparations for Cyclone Arnab, which the India Meteorological Department expects to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast as a very severe cyclonic storm on October 28.
What the weather office says
IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra told the committee that a deep depression over the east-central and adjoining south-east Bay of Bengal had moved nearly westwards and intensified into the cyclonic storm named Arnab. Officials said the system is forecast to make landfall between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam around the forenoon of Wednesday, with wind speeds of 115 to 125 kmph and gusts up to 140 kmph.
The department said the storm's impact is likely to extend beyond the coast. Telangana, southern Odisha, south and central Chhattisgarh, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are among the regions expected to be affected, mainly through heavy rainfall.
Directions from the Cabinet Secretary
Mr Somanathan told central agencies and state governments that the aim must be "zero loss of life" and minimal damage to property and critical infrastructure, officials said. He asked that essential services be restored as quickly as possible once the storm passes.
He also directed the Ministry of Home Affairs and the IMD to alert eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in case of heavy rain.
State preparations
Chief secretaries and senior officials from Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Puducherry briefed the committee on the steps being taken by their administrations. They said shelters and evacuation arrangements are in place and district control rooms have been activated to monitor the situation round the clock. Teams of the National Disaster Response Force and the State Disaster Response Force are on standby, the officials said.
Advisory for fishermen
The IMD has advised fishermen not to venture into the south-west and adjoining central Bay of Bengal, or along and off the coasts of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Yanam in Puducherry, until Thursday.
What to watch
The track and intensity of the storm may change as it approaches the coast, and the IMD is expected to continue issuing regular bulletins. State governments in the likely landfall zone have been asked to keep evacuation plans ready.
The National Crisis Management Committee, headed by the Cabinet Secretary, is the central body that coordinates the response to major disasters. Its review on Monday brought together the Centre and the administrations of all five regions in the likely path of the storm.
