Cyclone Arnab hits India's southeast coast, nearly 100,000 evacuated

Cyclone Arnab struck India's southeastern coast on Wednesday, 28 October, bringing powerful winds and heavy rain. Authorities say nearly 100,000 people have been moved from their homes in two states, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD), the national weather service, said Arnab reached land in Andhra Pradesh as a very severe cyclonic storm. Sustained winds were 125–135 kilometres per hour, with gusts up to 150 km/h. The IMD said the storm was still interacting with land along the coast between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam.

Evacuations and preparations

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu said, as the storm neared the coast, that protecting every life was the foremost priority. Up to 50,000 people in Andhra Pradesh and 48,000 in Odisha were told to move to safe areas. Residents were urged to go inland or take shelter. Neighbouring Sri Lanka and Nepal also issued weather warnings.

The weather service warned of the total destruction of thatched houses, localised flooding, uprooted power and communications poles, and widespread damage to standing crops.

Andhra Pradesh's state disaster management authority says more than 12 million people live along the storm's expected path. Its head, Prakhar Jain, said over 2,000 cyclone shelters had been set up across 20 districts, and emergency alerts were being sent to the mobile phones of millions of residents.

More than 30,000 fishing boats were secured along the coast, and nearly 1,100 medical teams were deployed across affected areas to provide emergency assistance, Jain added.