Cyclone Arnab: What we know about the storm heading for India’s east coast

• Cyclone Arnab expected to make landfall in Andhra Pradesh Wednesday morning
• Gusts of up to 87 mph forecast as storm strengthens
• 570,000 people identified as vulnerable in Andhra Pradesh
• Odisha closes schools, bans fishing and deploys rescue teams

TWO states on India’s eastern coast are preparing to evacuate thousands of people as Cyclone Arnab strengthens over the Bay of Bengal ahead of landfall in Andhra Pradesh, expected Wednesday morning.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the storm was likely to intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm by Tuesday before crossing the coast between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam on October 28. It forecast sustained winds of up to 78 mph (125 kph), with gusts reaching 87 mph (140 kph).

Andhra Pradesh has identified 570,000 people as vulnerable, and evacuations were due to begin Monday evening, a senior state disaster management official told Reuters.

Heavy rain forecast

The IMD forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall, with extremely heavy rain in places, across coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam on Tuesday and Wednesday, with heavy rain continuing Thursday.

As of early Monday, the storm was centered over the Bay of Bengal about 400 miles (650 km) east-southeast of Visakhapatnam, moving west at about 9 mph.

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Andhra Pradesh has ordered boats at sea to return to shore and called for power to be restored quickly in the event of outages.

Prakhar Jain, managing director of the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority, said the next three days were “extremely crucial” and urged residents, particularly in coastal areas, to follow official advisories.

Odisha on alert

In neighboring Odisha, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said the state would “take no chances” despite the storm being forecast to make landfall in Andhra Pradesh, and reiterated a zero-casualty goal.

He said southern and coastal districts could see heavy rain and gusts of 43 to 56 mph (70 to 90 kph). Schools, colleges and childcare centers in Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Koraput and Malkangiri will close on October 28 and 29, and a red alert has been issued for those districts on October 28, with isolated rainfall of more than 8 inches (20 cm) possible.

Odisha has banned fishing at sea and barred tourists from hills, waterfalls and dams in six southern districts. Eight ministers have been sent to vulnerable districts to oversee preparations, and leave has been canceled for district collectors and other key officials.

“Around 60 ODRAF teams and 17 NDRF teams have been deployed, while 225 Fire Services teams are on high alert,” Majhi said, referring to state and national disaster response forces.

Officials have been told to move people from vulnerable areas to safer locations, paying particular attention to the elderly, patients and pregnant women. In Ganjam, 100 cyclone shelters are ready and 1,000 temporary sites have been identified.

The Bay of Bengal is one of the world’s most active regions for tropical cyclones.

(With inputs from agencies)