- Odisha has evacuated 59,028 people across nine districts, including 11,882 from Ganjam
- The state has deployed 313 disaster response teams, including personnel from the NDRF and Fire Services
- Flooding has affected around 300 villages in Ganjam, with 70 remaining cut off
Nearly 60,000 people have been evacuated across nine districts in Odisha after Cyclone Arnab triggered exceptionally heavy rainfall, flash floods and landslides, leaving villages submerged and transport networks severely disrupted.
According to state government officials, 59,028 people have been moved to safer locations, including 11,882 from Ganjam, one of the worst-affected districts. The evacuees include 3,001 pregnant women.
The state has deployed 313 rescue teams comprising nine National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, 60 Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) teams and 244 Fire Services teams.
Ganjam has received the largest deployment, with 45 ODRAF teams and seven NDRF teams. Gajapati is also facing extensive flooding, while Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi, Nuapada and Kandhamal have reported damage.
Chief Secretary Anu Garg said around 300 villages in Ganjam had been affected, with 70 remaining marooned. The government has begun airlifting 2,328 people from these cut-off villages after floodwaters prevented rescue teams from reaching some locations.
The rainfall has been exceptional. Patrapur in Ganjam recorded 546mm of rain by Thursday morning, while G Udayagiri in Kandhamal received 462.4mm. Officials said the recent rainfall in Ganjam and Gajapati was comparable to what the districts normally experience over an entire year.
Coast Guard and Navy join rescue operations
The Indian Coast Guard has deployed helicopters to evacuate residents stranded in inundated areas. In one operation, an ALH Mk-III helicopter rescued six people, including two women, two children and an elderly person, from a flooded public health centre at Jagmohan in Ganjam.
The Indian Navy has also deployed four helicopters to deliver food packets and relief supplies at 21 locations in flood-affected Ganjam.
State Fire Services and ODRAF personnel are working to reach communities cut off by rising water levels. The government said strong currents had initially prevented rescue teams from accessing several locations, although conditions had improved enough to allow operations to reach more affected villages.
Relief arrangements have also been expanded, with 830 shelters established across the state. Educational institutions and Anganwadi centres in Ganjam and Gajapati have been ordered to remain closed until October 31.
Roads and rail services disrupted
Flooding has caused extensive damage to transport infrastructure, isolating communities and complicating relief operations.
At least 36 trains have been cancelled and nearly 30 others diverted after railway tracks were submerged in the east coast section.
National Highway 16 has been disrupted near the Andhra Pradesh-Odisha border after floodwater from the Bahuda river inundated part of the road. In Gajapati's Mohana block, around 300 metres of National Highway 326 was washed away, affecting connectivity with Ganjam.
The Rushikulya river was flowing at 19 metres at Purushottampur, above its danger level of 16.8 metres. Officials warned that water levels could rise further, while heavy rainfall has also triggered landslides in several districts.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has conducted an aerial survey of the affected areas and spoken to Union Home Minister Amit Shah about the scale of the damage and the state's relief operations. The Centre has assured Odisha of assistance, while an inter-ministerial team is expected to visit affected areas to assess the damage.
With thousands of residents still displaced and several villages facing access difficulties, the immediate priority remains rescue operations, food supplies and restoring road and rail connectivity.
