Severe Cyclone Arnab Nears Andhra Coast as Thousands Evacuate and Flights Cancelled

UPDATE - follow-up to Cyclone 'Arnab' LIVE updates | Storm 140 km from Kakinada; highest danger signal hoisted at Kakinada port:

Current Status and Landfall

Very severe cyclonic storm Arnab was centred 140 km from Kakinada and 170 km from Visakhapatnam on Tuesday afternoon, moving towards the coast. The India Meteorological Department expects the storm to cross the coast just south of Yanam by Wednesday forenoon, bringing winds of 125 to 135 kmph gusting up to 150 kmph. A storm surge of 1 to 2 metres is expected to flood low-lying areas near Kakinada and Yanam.

Evacuations and Transport Disruptions

Authorities are moving nearly 89,000 people on the Kakinada coast to 101 relief camps, while Odisha plans to relocate 48,000 residents. In Yanam, around 2,000 people have moved to camps so far, and local officials have deployed National Disaster Response Force personnel and police to persuade remaining residents to leave. Transport networks have suffered heavy disruption, with at least 72 trains cancelled and numerous flights halted or diverted across Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada airports.

Casualties and Infrastructure Damage

A 65-year-old man named A. Pinni Devudu died in Visakhapatnam after coming into contact with a snapped live electrical wire submerged in water. The storm has uprooted 206 trees in Visakhapatnam alone, prompting the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation to deploy 30 clearing teams. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has reviewed relief operations and directed officials to ensure food, clean drinking water, and swift power restoration.

Context

Cyclones developing in the Bay of Bengal during the post-monsoon season frequently threaten India's eastern seaboard with high winds and torrential rain. Disaster management protocols in these regions rely on early weather warnings to evacuate vulnerable coastal populations and preposition emergency response teams before landfall occurs.