Arnab, which formed over the Bay of Bengal before intensifying into a cyclonic storm, is expected to make landfall in Andhra Pradesh state by Wednesday morning, with gusts of as much as 140 kph (87 mph), India’s weather office said.
Bhubaneswar: Two states along India’s eastern coast were preparing to evacuate thousands of people ahead of Cyclone Arnab, which is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, as one of them said it would close schools in some districts for two days.
Arnab, which formed over the Bay of Bengal before intensifying into a cyclonic storm, is expected to make landfall in Andhra Pradesh state by Wednesday morning, with gusts of as much as 140 kph (87 mph), India’s weather office said.
The cyclone will probably intensify further, it added.
The weather system is expected to bring heavy to extremely heavy rainfall to Andhra Pradesh’s northern and central coastal districts, and southern regions of neighbouring Odisha.
Andhra Pradesh has called for boats at sea to return ashore and ordered speedy restoration of power in case of disruptions.
A senior Andhra Pradesh disaster management official told Reuters on Monday the state government had identified 570,000 people as vulnerable and evacuations would start on Monday evening.
Odisha’s government announced the closure of schools and colleges in five districts for Tuesday and Wednesday, and said it was preparing to move residents of low-lying areas to cyclone shelters.
The Odisha government has prohibited fishing activities in the sea and entry of tourists in the hills, waterfalls and dams in six districts as it has stepped up precautionary measures in view of cyclone ‘Arnab’ that is likely to make landfall in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh within 48 hours, officials said on Monday.
The government has mobilised its resources in Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Malkangiri, Koraput and Nabarangpur, the identified vulnerable districts of the southern region, while Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi deputed eight ministers at separate places to monitor pre-cyclone activities, they said.
Rescue teams, comprising personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), the Fire and Emergency Services and the police, have been pre-positioned at vulnerable areas, the officials said.
The Bay of Bengal is one of the world’s major regions for tropical cyclones.