Cyclone Arnab killed three people and damaged 31 houses in Andhra Pradesh, while around 57,000 people were moved to relief camps in the state and more than 30,000 evacuated in Odisha as the storm weakened after making landfall along the Andhra Pradesh-Yanam coast on Wednesday.
The cyclone, which crossed the coast with maximum sustained wind speeds of 125-135 kmph, weakened from a very severe cyclonic storm into a severe cyclonic storm. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said it was likely to weaken further into a cyclonic storm and subsequently a deep depression as it moved towards Chhattisgarh.
Despite the weakening, heavy to extremely heavy rainfall continued to affect southern Odisha, prompting the state government to evacuate people from low-lying and landslide-prone areas and place several districts on alert. The IMD also forecast heavy rainfall in parts of West Bengal until October 31.
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Inspector General Narendra Singh Bundela said Andhra Pradesh was the worst affected, with trees uprooted, houses damaged and three deaths reported. Preliminary reports indicated no serious impact in Odisha at the time of his briefing.
The three deaths in Andhra Pradesh were reported in separate incidents involving falling trees and live electrical wires, officials told PTI.
Chokka Kishore Kumar, 46, died around 12.30 am on Wednesday after a tree fell on him in Bhimavaram in West Godavari district. He was taken to hospital but was declared dead on arrival, an official said.
Later on Wednesday morning, newspaper delivery worker Rambabu sustained a critical head injury after an electric pole collapsed on his moped near a temple in Bhimavaram. He was undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit.
In another incident, a 53-year-old man died in Visakhapatnam district on Tuesday night after coming into contact with a live wire that had snapped over an agricultural field channel. A 55-year-old woman died on Wednesday morning after accidentally stepping on an exposed live wire outside her home in Yellamanchili town in Anakapalli district, police said.
Bundela said 31 houses of various types had been damaged in Andhra Pradesh. Around 57,000 people had been shifted to relief camps, while 38 people were evacuated from Yanam on Tuesday night.
A total of 39 NDRF teams had been deployed in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and neighbouring Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Puducherry, Telangana and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Four additional teams were sent to Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday night, he said.
Heavy to extremely heavy rainfall battered neighbouring southern Odisha, prompting the state government to evacuate more than 30,000 people and mobilise emergency personnel in vulnerable areas, Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said.
The government expects the cyclone to affect all southern districts, with Malkangiri likely to be the worst hit. Evacuations from low-lying and landslide-prone areas were continuing, Pujari said.
The administration was focusing on Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts. Schools and anganwadi centres in 16 of the state's 30 districts remained closed on Wednesday.
As many as 2,037 cyclone shelters had been kept ready, with arrangements for food, drinking water and other essential facilities. Administrations in Kalahandi, Kandhamal and Nuapada districts were also placed on alert.
The IMD issued a red alert for extremely heavy rainfall in Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri, Gajapati and Ganjam districts, forecasting winds of 50-70 kmph.
A separate alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall, accompanied by winds of 40-60 kmph, was issued for Bargarh, Subarnapur, Boudh, Nuapada, Balangir, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Puri, Khurda and Nayagarh districts. Other parts of the state could experience heavy rain and winds of 30-50 kmph.
"The next 24 hours are expected to be critical as the cyclone's impact intensifies," Pujari said.
Special Relief Commissioner Rajesh P Patil said trees had been uprooted in some southern districts, but no major damage or casualties had been reported in Odisha at the time of his statement.
The state had deployed 313 response teams at identified vulnerable locations, including 60 Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force teams, nine NDRF teams and 244 Fire and Emergency Services teams. All 19,143 fishing boats had returned to shore, while temporary road closures had been implemented in vulnerable landslide-prone areas.
"Achieving zero casualties is our primary motto," Pujari said.
The cyclone disrupted rail services along the eastern coast, with more than 50 trains cancelled.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said minor disruptions caused by fallen trees at 10 locations had been promptly addressed.
"Reviewed the ground situation with senior officials today in the wake of Cyclone Arnab. Minor disruptions like tree falls reported across 10 locations were promptly attended to. Situation is being closely monitored to maintain safe and smooth train operations," he said in a post on X.
Flight operations at Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar were mostly normal, airport director Prasanna Pradhan said. However, a nine-seater flight operating on the Bhubaneswar-Jeypore-Visakhapatnam sector was cancelled for Wednesday because of the cyclone.
Flights from Chennai and Hyderabad to Bhubaneswar were taking an alternative route over Raipur to avoid the affected Visakhapatnam airspace, Pradhan said.
The IMD forecast heavy rainfall in parts of West Bengal until October 31 under the influence of Cyclone Arnab.
Heavy rain accompanied by gusty winds was reported in the coastal areas of South 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur from Tuesday evening. Kolkata recorded 19.1 mm of rainfall between 5.30 pm on Tuesday and 8.30 am on Wednesday, according to the IMD.
The city was likely to experience cloudy skies with light to moderate rainfall on Wednesday. Heavy rain was forecast in Purba Medinipur, South 24 Parganas, Jhargram, Paschim Medinipur, Bankura and Purulia until Friday morning.
The sub-Himalayan districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar were expected to receive heavy rainfall until Saturday morning.
Several incoming and outgoing flights at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata were cancelled or disrupted as a safety precaution, an official release said. Fishermen were warned against venturing into the sea along and off the West Bengal coast until Thursday.
(With inputs from PTI)
