In response to Cyclone Arnab, which made landfall along the Andhra Pradesh-Yanam coastline, southern Odisha is under high alert, particularly Malkangiri, which is expected to experience severe effects. More than 30,000 people have been evacuated to safety, according to a state minister’s announcement on Wednesday.
Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari stated that the cyclone is currently within Andhra Pradesh and is expected to reach Odisha later today. He confirmed that personnel and resources have been deployed to vulnerable areas, with ongoing evacuations.
The focus of the government’s efforts is on the districts of Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri, and Nabarangpur, where residents from low-lying and landslide-prone regions are being moved to designated shelters.
On Wednesday, schools and anganwadis in 16 of the state’s 30 districts remained closed. A total of 2,037 cyclone shelters have been prepared, equipped with food, drinking water, and other essential services.
The administrations in Kalahandi, Kandhamal, and Nuapada districts are also on alert, as stated by Pujari. Though some trees have been uprooted in southern regions, significant damage or casualties have not yet been reported.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that the cyclone crossed the Andhra Pradesh-Yanam coast between 2 am and 8 am as a very severe storm, with wind speeds reaching 125-135 km/h. The IMD’s latest bulletin indicated that the landfall has been completed, with the cyclone’s central region entirely on land.
At 8:30 am, the storm weakened to a severe cyclonic storm, with wind speeds decreasing to 110-120 km/h, and it is projected to further diminish into a cyclonic storm within six hours and subsequently into a deep depression.
The IMD forecasts that the system will move north-northwest over the next 48 hours, passing through parts of southern Odisha before heading northwest towards Chhattisgarh. Its outer bands have already begun to deliver consistent rainfall and strong winds to the districts of Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati, and Ganjam.
According to Manorama Mohanty, director of the Regional Meteorological Centre in Bhubaneswar, winds could intensify to 60-70 km/h, with gusts reaching up to 80 km/h as the cyclone moves further inland.
A red alert has been issued for heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in Malkangiri, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Gajapati, and Kalahandi districts, with local landslides possible in hilly regions due to ongoing rain. Additionally, heavy to very heavy rainfall, along with winds of 40-60 km/h, is predicted for Bargarh, Subarnapur, Boudh, Nuapada, Balangir, Kandhamal, Puri, Khordha, and Nayagarh districts.
An orange alert has also been set for Sundargarh, Jharsuguda, and Bargarh districts for October 29, warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall and strong winds.
Pujari noted that 313 response teams are deployed at critical locations, which include 60 teams from the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force, nine from the National Disaster Response Force, and 244 from Fire and Emergency Services.
All 19,143 fishing boats have returned safely, and precautionary measures, such as temporary road closures in landslide-prone areas, have been enacted. “Our main goal is to achieve zero casualties,” the minister emphasized.
