Severe Cyclone Arnab Nears Andhra Coast as Thousands Move to Safety

UPDATE - follow-up to Cyclone 'Arnab' LIVE updates | Storm 170 km from Visakhapatnam; landfall near Yanam; Nepal on high alert: Severe cyclonic storm Arnab is approaching the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts, located 170 kilometres from Visakhapatnam and 180 kilometres from Kakinada. The India Meteorological Department expects the storm to cross the coast near Yanam by Wednesday forenoon with destructive winds reaching up to 150 kmph.

Evacuations and Transport

Authorities are moving nearly 89,000 people on the Kakinada coast to 101 relief camps, while Odisha plans to relocate 48,000 residents. Sea water has already flooded parts of Uppada and nearby villages, and all Visakhapatnam beaches are shut. Rail authorities cancelled at least 72 trains, and multiple flights at the Visakhapatnam airport were called off.

Regional Impact

Visakhapatnam recorded heavy rainfall, with the 16th Police Battalion campus logging about 122 millimetres. The Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority sent cyclone alerts via mobile phones to 2.70 crore people across 18 districts. The National Disaster Response Force deployed 31 teams across Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, and Yanam, alongside state response units.

Context

Tropical cyclones frequently form in the Bay of Bengal during the pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons, bringing severe gales and torrential rain to India's eastern coastline. Large-scale evacuations and prepositioned disaster response forces are standard safety protocols used by governments to minimize casualties during severe weather events.