More than 89,000 people were evacuated from vulnerable coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday as very severe cyclonic storm Arnab moved rapidly towards the state's coastline, prompting widespread school closures, cancellation of train and flight services and deployment of emergency response teams.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the cyclone was expected to cross the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, close to Yanam, early Wednesday, October 28, bringing sustained winds of 115โ125 kmph and gusts reaching 140 kmph.
According to the IMD's evening assessment, the cyclone had accelerated towards the coast, raising concerns over extremely heavy rainfall, flooding and damage to infrastructure. Authorities in Andhra Pradesh and neighbouring Odisha intensified precautionary measures, particularly in low-lying and coastal settlements.
๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐น๐ ๐ช๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ฑ๐ฎ๐
The IMD said the cyclone was moving towards the Andhra Pradesh coast at an increased speed and was expected to make landfall between 2 am and 4 am on Wednesday.
The storm had intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm over the west-central Bay of Bengal, bringing heavy rainfall and strong winds to coastal areas even before its expected landfall.
Meteorologists warned of a storm surge of one to two metres above the astronomical tide, which could inundate low-lying coastal areas. The highest surge was expected around Kakinada and Yanam.
The weather department also forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall across coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam on October 27 and 28, Odisha on October 28, Chhattisgarh on October 28 and 29, and eastern Uttar Pradesh on October 29.
๐ข๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ด๐ต,๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ
Andhra Pradesh authorities evacuated at least 89,000 people from vulnerable coastal areas as the cyclone approached, while more than 2,000 cyclone shelters were made available across 20 districts.
The state government also secured more than 30,000 fishing boats and deployed nearly 1,100 medical teams to assist residents during the emergency.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu reviewed preparations with senior officials and directed district administrations to prioritise public safety, evacuations and the restoration of essential services.
The government released Rs 27 crore to 20 districts for emergency relief operations. Of this, Rs 2 crore each was allocated to Bapatla, Krishna, Konaseema, East Godavari, West Godavari, Kakinada and Anakapalli districts.
Fifteen National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams were deployed across vulnerable coastal locations, while additional rescue personnel and emergency supplies were kept ready.
๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐, ๐ณ๐น๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ฑ
The approaching cyclone severely disrupted transport services, with South Coast Railway announcing the cancellation of 53 trains scheduled for October 27 and 28 as a precautionary measure.
The railway authorities established round-the-clock control rooms at zonal and divisional headquarters to coordinate emergency operations and monitor weather-related disruptions.
Air services were also affected, with at least 21 flights cancelled at Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam airports on Tuesday. Another 15 flights scheduled from Vijayawada airport on Wednesday were cancelled.
Air India issued an advisory warning passengers of possible disruptions to services operating to and from Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada and urged travellers to check flight schedules before leaving for airports.
Educational institutions in several coastal districts were closed, while authorities restricted access to beaches and advised fishermen against venturing into the sea.
๐ข๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ต๐ฎ ๐ถ๐๐๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ณ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐ฎ๐น๐ฒ๐ฟ๐
Neighbouring Odisha also intensified preparedness measures as heavy rain and strong winds affected several districts.
The IMD issued an orange warning for Puri, Gajapati, Ganjam, Rayagada, Koraput and Malkangiri, forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall ranging from 12 cm to 20 cm.
A yellow warning was issued for several other districts, including Balasore, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Cuttack, Khurda, Nayagarh and Jagatsinghpur.
The Odisha government ordered the closure of schools, colleges and Anganwadi centres in Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Koraput and Malkangiri districts on October 28 and 29.
Schools in Khordha district were also directed to remain closed from Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi directed officials to ensure timely evacuation of vulnerable residents and maintain adequate supplies at relief shelters.
The state mobilised disaster response teams, fire service personnel and medical workers, while arrangements were made to shift pregnant women and patients requiring urgent care to healthcare facilities.
๐๐๐๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ ๐ฟ๐๐บ๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐
The Odisha government advised media organisations and digital platforms against circulating unverified forecasts or misleading information about the cyclone.
Authorities urged residents to follow official IMD bulletins and instructions issued by district administrations, particularly in areas vulnerable to flooding and strong winds.
Emergency teams remained on alert across the affected states as officials monitored the cyclone's movement and prepared for possible disruptions to electricity, telecommunications, transport and essential services following landfall.