Odisha and Andhra Pradesh stepped up preparations on Monday, October 26, as Cyclone Arnab moved west-northwestwards over the Bay of Bengal towards India's east coast, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing a Red Message cyclone warning for the Andhra Pradesh and adjoining south Odisha coasts.
Source: IMD via Desi Metros
According to IMD Bulletin No. 8 quoted in reports, the storm was centred at 8:30 am IST on Monday near latitude 15.4°N and longitude 88.5°E, about 610 km east-southeast of Visakhapatnam. The IMD expects Arnab to become a severe cyclonic storm by midnight on Monday and a very severe cyclonic storm on October 27, before crossing the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam in the forenoon of October 28, with forecast winds of 115-125 kmph gusting to 140 kmph.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said the state would take no chances and set a zero-casualty goal. Schools, colleges and Anganwadi centres will close on October 28 and 29 in Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Koraput and Malkangiri, where a red alert is in place for October 28 with isolated rainfall of more than 20 cm possible, reports said.
Source: India Weekly (agency inputs)
Majhi said about 60 Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) teams and 17 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been deployed, with 225 Fire Services teams on high alert. Eight ministers have been sent to vulnerable districts, leave for district collectors and key officials has been cancelled, fishing at sea has been banned, and tourists have been barred from hills, waterfalls and dams in six southern districts. In Ganjam, 100 cyclone shelters are ready and 1,000 temporary sites have been identified, and officials have been told to move elderly people, patients and pregnant women first.
In Andhra Pradesh, Reuters reported that authorities had identified approximately 570,000 people — yaani about 5.7 lakh people — as vulnerable to the storm, with evacuation preparations scheduled to begin on Monday evening. Boats at sea have been told to return to shore.
Source: Reuters via Bangladeshist
A separate IANS report said distant warning signal No. 2 has been hoisted at nine ports in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, and fishermen already at sea have been advised to return immediately. Officials in both states have urged residents in low-lying and vulnerable areas to follow official advisories — the storm's exact landfall point and intensity can still change as it approaches the coast.
Source: Odisha Connect