BHUBANESWAR: As cyclone Arnab made landfall in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh and triggered heavy rainfall, the Odisha government evacuated 31,255 people to safety in seven districts.
So far, the government has received no reports of damage, a senior official said.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the very severe cyclone crossed Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam between 2.00 am and 8.00 am on Wednesday. It weakened into a severe storm at about 8.30 am.
It is very likely to move north-northwestwards during the next 48 hours. It is expected to weaken into a cyclonic storm during the next six hours and further into a deep depression during the subsequent six hours, said the national weather body.
As the severe cyclonic storm is expected to trigger very heavy rains in southern and western parts of the state, the government evacuated people from low-lying areas of at least seven districts.
"People have been evacuated from Malkangiri, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Kalahandi, Ganjam and Gajapati districts. They have been moved to 324 shelters," Special Relief Commissioner Rajesh Prabhakar Patil told TNIE.
Of them, about 12,197 people have been evacuated from Gajapati district, followed by 10,269 in Nabarangpur, 4,449 in Ganjam and 3,841 in Malkangiri, he added.
Meanwhile, Director of Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre Manorama Mohanty said districts like Malkangiri, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Ganjam and Gajapati are likely to receive very heavy rains on Wednesday.
The tropical storm-induced heavy rains may also lead to flash floods in parts of Odisha. The IMD has issued a flash flood risk alert for Koraput, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Kalahandi, Nuapada, Balangir, Kandhamal, Ganjam, Gajapati, Khurda, Nayagarh, Puri, Sambalpur, Angul, Deogarh, Boudh, Bargarh, Jharsuguda, Sundargarh and Sonepur districts.
The government has deployed 62 ODRAF and nine NDRF teams to handle any emergency arising due to the inclement weather conditions.