More than 89,000 people have been evacuated from six coastal belts in Andhra Pradesh to 101 relief camps as very severe Cyclone Arnab closes in on India’s eastern coast, with landfall forecast for the forenoon of Wednesday 28 October.
The Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority said on Tuesday 27 October that the cyclone’s impact had begun, with heavy rain expected shortly in north Andhra districts. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for Eluru, NTR, Krishna, Konaseema, Kakinada, East Godavari, West Godavari, Guntur, Alluri Sitharama Raju, Anakapalli and Visakhapatnam districts.
The storm is forecast to cross the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, near Yanam, by the forenoon of 28 October, packing sustained winds of 115–125 km/h with gusts reaching 140 km/h. As of 3.30 am on 27 October, it was located 300 km from Visakhapatnam, 360 km from Kakinada and 530 km from Bapatla, moving at 25 km/h.
Evacuations, schools and trains:
All 130 residents of Hope Island, off the Kakinada coast, have been evacuated to Kakinada city, and fisherfolk in Kakinada Rural, Uppada, Kothapalli and Thondangi have been advised to move to safer locations. Relief camps are being equipped with food and drinking water.
The state government has released 27 crore rupees to 20 districts for relief and response operations. A senior Andhra Pradesh disaster management official told Reuters on 26 October that the state had identified 570,000 people as vulnerable, with evacuations starting that evening.
Neighbouring Odisha has closed schools and colleges in five districts for 27 and 28 October and is preparing to move residents of low-lying areas to cyclone shelters, while 53 train services scheduled for 27 and 28 October have been cancelled across routes connecting Vijayawada, Rajahmundry, Machilipatnam, Narasapur, Bhimavaram, Kakinada Port, Guntur and Visakhapatnam.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has directed officials to maintain round-the-clock vigilance, set up district-level control rooms and issue regular warnings to coastal residents.
What happens next:
The exact landfall point and intensity remain forecasts, and the IMD’s bulletins will update as the storm approaches the coast. Residents in the red-alert districts are urged to follow official weather and safety advice, stay away from beaches and low-lying areas, and avoid travelling on cancelled routes until services resume.
FAQ:
When and where will Cyclone Arnab make landfall? The IMD forecasts it will cross the Andhra Pradesh–Yanam coast between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, near Yanam, by the forenoon of 28 October.
How strong will it be? Sustained winds of 115–125 km/h, gusting to 140 km/h, with heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in northern and central coastal Andhra Pradesh and southern Odisha.
How many people have been evacuated? Nearly 89,000 people to 101 relief camps in Andhra Pradesh, with Odisha also moving residents of low-lying areas to shelters; officials had identified 570,000 people as vulnerable.
Sources:
The News Minute, “Cyclone Arnab to cross Andhra coast on Oct 28, over 89000 people evacuated”: https://www.thenewsminute.com/andhra-pradesh/cyclone-arnab-to-cross-andhra-coast-on-oct-28-over-89000-people-evacuated
VnExpress International (Reuters), “India to evacuate thousands as Cyclone Arnab nears eastern coast”: https://e.vnexpress.net/news/world/india-to-evacuate-thousands-as-cyclone-arnab-nears-eastern-coast-5137282.html
Business Today, “Cyclone Arnab to evolve into a ‘very severe cyclonic storm’: 53 trains cancelled, schools shut, evacuations underway”: https://www.businesstoday.in/amp/india/story/cyclone-arnab-to-evolve-into-a-very-severe-cyclonic-storm-53-trains-cancelled-schools-shut-evacuations-underway-563821-2026-10-27
Pratidin Time, “Cyclone Arnab: Odisha, Andhra Shut Schools, Begin Evacuations Ahead of Landfall”: https://www.pratidintime.com/national/cyclone-arnab-odisha-andhra-pradesh-shut-schools-begin-evacuations-ahead-of-landfall-12756934
