Cyclone Arnab set to make landfall in few hours, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha on alert

Moving rapidly towards Andhra coast, Cyclone Arnab is expected to make landfall in the early hours of Wednesday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said, advancing its earlier forecast by several hours.

It said the landfall was expected between 2am and 4am on Wednesday as against forenoon predicted earlier.

“Due to fast movement, cyclone Arnab will cross the north Andhra Pradesh coast between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam  during the early hours of Wednesday,” said IMD.

As of 5.30pm on Tuesday, the ‘very severe’ cyclone Arnab was located at about 90km southeast of Kakinada and 170 km east-northeast of Machilipatnam. The landfall is expected between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam.

“It is likely to make landfall… as a ‘severe’ cyclone, with a maximum wind speed of 115-125 kmph, gusting to 140km/hr Wednesday,” the IMD said.

Squally weather, rough sea conditions, and strong winds, along with a storm surge with wave heights going 1-2 metres above the astronomical tide, are expected to affect coastal Andhra Pradesh. This is likely to cause inundation along the low-lying areas during the cyclone’s landfall. The maximum peak surge is expected near the Kakinada and Yanam coasts.

Coastal regions of Odisha have already been lashed with heavy to very heavy spells.

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The Met department has issued an orange alert for Anakapalli, Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam, and Vizianagaram districts in Andhra Pradesh, along with Odisha’s Angul, Boudh, Bhadrak, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Gajapati, Ganjam, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Kandhamal, Kendrapara, Khorda, Koraput, Nayagarh, Puri, and Rayagada districts.

Thousands evacuated in Odisha

The Odisha government has relocated over 48,000 people from vulnerable areas to shelters in eight districts as heavy rainfall under the influence of cyclone Arnab lashed several districts on Tuesday.

As many as 135 cyclone shelters and 1,600 temporary shelters have been set up to accommodate the people evacuated from low-lying areas and vulnerable places in the state.

Several Odisha districts, including Gajapati, Ganjam, Rayagada, Koraput, Nabarangpur and Malkangiri, are under red warning with the Met department predicting heavy to very heavy rainfall accompanied by lightning and gusty surface wind reaching 60-80 kmph to up to 90 kmph in these districts.

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Officials said Malkangiri district will receive maximum rainfall and wind speed in Odisha as it falls in the path of cyclone.

Odisha’s special relief commissioner Rajesh Patil said based on the assessment made by the district collectors, a decision has been taken to relocate nearly 48,000 people in the first phase from districts like Nabarangpur, Gajapati, Malkangiri, Ganjam, Koraput, Rayagada, Kalahandi and Nuapada.

As many as 244 fire services teams, 60 Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) teams and nine NDRF teams have been deployed in various districts.

“The state government is fully prepared to tackle every possible situation…We urge the people not to panic and to cooperate with the administration in dealing with the situation,” said the special relief commissioner.

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Amid concerns of possible landslides in certain districts due to incessant rainfall, officials said teams have been deployed there with equipment to clear roads and debris, if needed. Maximum vulnerable points for landslides have been identified in Gajapati district where the district administration has been keeping a close watch.

Nearly 3,000 pregnant women approaching the date of delivery have been identified and shifted to nearby hospitals from across the state.

16 districts likely to be hit in Andhra

According to preliminary assessments, the cyclone is expected to have a significant impact across 16 districts of Andhra Pradesh, covering 2,460 revenue villages and 92 urban areas. To facilitate coordinated relief operations, authorities have identified 1,763 cyclone shelters and established 2,907 control rooms at district and mandal levels.

As a precautionary measure, beaches have been closed to the public. All fishermen who had ventured into the sea have reportedly returned home, and all 30,043 fishing boats have been secured at harbours to minimise the risk of damage from adverse weather conditions, authorities said.

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Special arrangements have been made to ensure the availability of medical services in cyclone-prone areas.