Cyclone Arnab Nears Coast As Thousands Move To Shelters

UPDATE - follow-up to Cyclone 'Arnab' LIVE updates | IMD raises wind forecast to 150 kmph gusts; landfall near Yanam; 61 trains cancelled: Severe cyclonic storm Arnab is tracking towards the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts, positioned about 220 kilometers from Visakhapatnam and 240 kilometers from Kakinada on Tuesday morning. The India Meteorological Department expects the system to strike near Yanam by Wednesday forenoon, bringing winds of 125 to 135 kilometers per hour with gusts reaching 150 kilometers per hour. Authorities across multiple states have suspended fishing, closed schools, and deployed rescue units. Officials are shifting roughly 89,000 residents from the Kakinada coast into 101 relief camps, while Odisha is moving 48,000 people from vulnerable areas. Special Relief Commissioner Rajesh P. Patil noted that Gajapati and Nabarangpur districts account for about 11,000 evacuees each, with Odisha preparing 135 permanent shelters and roughly 1,600 temporary ones alongside 294 deployed rescue squads. Transport networks face heavy disruptions as railways cancel at least 61 trains, predominantly across the Godavari-Krishna delta. Visakhapatnam airport reported four flight cancellations and four diversions. In Visakhapatnam, all public beaches are closed and patrolling is underway under Collector Abhishikth Kishore, who confirmed that fallen trees and localized power outages were swiftly addressed. Meanwhile, surging sea waves have breached coastal areas in Uppada, Konapapet, and Moolapet, flooding local roads and alarming residents.

Context

Coastal cyclones in the Bay of Bengal regularly gather strength over warm waters before striking the eastern seaboard of India during this season. State disaster management authorities and meteorological agencies routinely coordinate massive evacuations and transport suspensions to prevent loss of life during such severe weather events.