India orders evacuations as Cyclone Arnab nears Andhra Pradesh coast
Authorities in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha are moving residents from vulnerable areas as a forecast October 28 landfall disrupts trains and flights.
Indian authorities ordered nearly 100,000 people in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha to evacuate on October 27 as Cyclone Arnab approached the coast, AFP reported. The India Meteorological Department forecast landfall on October 28, while the approaching storm has already disrupted flights and trains.
How many people have been moved?
The evacuation order reported by AFP covers two states; it is not a count of people already in shelters. In Andhra Pradesh, nearly 50,000 people had reached shelters by Monday night, out of an estimated 400,000 needing evacuation, state disaster management authority managing director Prakhar Jain told Reuters, according to Al Jazeera. Jain said evacuation was continuing.
Odisha planned to evacuate 48,000 people, Al Jazeera reported, citing The Hindu. The state also opened 1,735 cyclone shelters and restricted movement in areas prone to landslides, according to its information office, as reported by AFP. The planned figure does not establish how many people in Odisha had been moved.
In Andhra Pradesh, local media reported evacuation orders for low-lying areas and school closures in some districts from Tuesday through Saturday, according to AFP. More than 4,700 pregnant women in potentially dangerous locations had been moved to hospitals, AFP reported, citing The Indian Express.
Flights and trains affected by Cyclone Arnab
All IndiGo flights scheduled from Vijayawada Airport on Wednesday, October 28, were cancelled, The Times of India reported. Fly91 cancelled two Hyderabad services for that day, and an Air India flight between Delhi and Vijayawada was also cancelled. Two IndiGo services connecting Vijayawada with Chennai and Bengaluru were cancelled on Tuesday, October 27.
Railway authorities said at least 12 trains had been cancelled and services on 53 routes along the southern coast suspended for Tuesday and Wednesday, according to Al Jazeera. The disruptions affect travel before the forecast landfall, as authorities move residents away from exposed areas.
Where and when is landfall forecast?
The India Meteorological Department forecast that Arnab would cross the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam by the morning of October 28, according to The Times of India. Its report gave expected sustained winds of 115–125 km/h and gusts up to 140 km/h. AFP separately reported an IMD forecast of gusts up to 150 km/h; the reports do not establish whether those figures came from the same bulletin.
Rain was already lashing Kakinada, where high waves reached the shore, AFP reported. Resident Kotesh Kumar told AFP the water was higher than during a cyclone three years earlier. His account describes local conditions, while the forecast landfall and wind speeds remain predictions.
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Sources and context
- India orders evacuations as Cyclone Arnab loomsAFP, republished by Phys.org
- India evacuates tens of thousands as ‘very severe’ Cyclone Arnab nearsAl Jazeera; by Al Jazeera Staff, AFP and Reuters
- Cyclone Arnab: Multiple flights cancelled at Vijayawada airport; all IndiGo services suspended for WednesdayThe Times of India (TNN)
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.