VISAKHAPATNAM, October 26 (Aalimi Nation) – Andhra Pradesh and Odisha began stepping up evacuation and relief preparations on Monday as Cyclone Arnab moved towards the Andhra Pradesh coast, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing a red alert for coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam and southern Odisha.
What the IMD says
The weather office has said the system is likely to intensify further over the Bay of Bengal and cross the coast on Wednesday, October 28, near Yanam and between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam. Maximum sustained winds of 115 to 125 kmph are forecast at landfall, with gusts of up to 140 kmph.
Heavy to extremely heavy rainfall is expected over northern and central coastal Andhra Pradesh and southern Odisha. The IMD has also ordered a complete suspension of fishing in the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea until October 28. Reports differ on how strong the storm will be at landfall, with some describing it as a severe cyclonic storm and others as a very severe cyclonic storm.
Andhra Pradesh
A senior state disaster management official said about 5.7 lakh people have been identified as vulnerable, and evacuations were due to begin on Monday evening. The figure is the number marked as at risk rather than the number already moved to safety. Boats at sea have been told to return to shore, and the authorities have ordered rapid restoration of electricity supply in case of outages.
Odisha
Odisha has closed schools, colleges and Anganwadi centres in five districts on October 28 and 29. Officials said people in low-lying and vulnerable areas are being shifted to cyclone shelters and temporary evacuation centres, with particular attention to elderly people, patients and pregnant women. About 3,000 pregnant women are being moved to hospitals, officials said.
The state has deployed 17 National Disaster Response Force teams and about 40 to 60 Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force teams at strategic locations; the figures vary between official accounts. Eight ministers, including the Deputy Chief Ministers, have been assigned to eight districts likely to face very heavy rain. Residents in vulnerable areas have been urged to follow official advisories and cooperate with evacuation.
How the storm developed
The system formed as a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal, which the IMD had earlier said was likely to cross the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam. It has since intensified into a cyclonic storm and been named Arnab. The Andhra Pradesh government has deployed emergency resources in vulnerable areas with the aim of limiting losses.
What is confirmed and what is not
The red alert, the October 28 landfall window, the school closures in five Odisha districts and the identification of about 5.7 lakh vulnerable people in Andhra Pradesh are all based on official statements. The number of people actually moved to safety has not been confirmed by either state, and Odisha has not published a district-wise evacuation count. Accounts also differ on how many response teams are in place, and on whether Arnab will cross the coast as a severe or a very severe cyclonic storm.
The track, speed and intensity of the system may change before it reaches the coast, and the exact landfall point and the extent of any damage will become clear only after the storm crosses.
