Odisha steps up cyclone preparedness as Arnab intensifies; heavy rain warning for six districts

Odisha on Tuesday stepped up its preparedness for the very severe cyclonic storm Arnab over the west-central Bay of Bengal, deploying multiple rescue teams from the fire services, ODRAF, and NDRF in view of heavy rainfall warnings across southern districts.

Follow LIVE updates related to Cyclone Arnab here.

The cyclonic storm is expected to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast near Yanam on Wednesday forenoon, with winds of up to 140 kmph.

The India Meteorological Department in its latest bulletin on October 26, said the storm was located about 400 km south-southeast of Gopalpur in Odisha. It is likely to move northwestwards and cross the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, close to Yanam around Wednesday noon, with maximum sustained winds of 115-125 kmph and gusts reaching 140 kmph.

IMD officials said the weather is expected to deteriorate across Odisha from Tuesday, with an orange alert issued for Puri, Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Koraput and Malkangiri districts. Heavy rainfall, including extremely heavy showers at isolated places, is likely, accompanied by winds of 40-50 kmph and gusts up to 60 kmph. A yellow alert has also been issued for 16 other districts.

Red alert for Wednesday, Thursday

On October 28-29, a red warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall was issued for some places, with extremely heavy rain at one or two places over Gajapati, Ganjam, Rayagada, Koraput and Malkangiri, accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds of 60-70 kmph gusting to 80 kmph. Orange and Yellow warnings extend to many other districts.

The Odisha Fire and Emergency Services Department has mobilised around 225 teams across southern Odisha. A total of 245 teams have been asked to remain ready, fire officer Ramesh Majhi said.

Majhi said 34 teams have been deployed in Ganjam and Gajapati districts, including 26 in Ganjam and 8 in Gajapati, equipped to clear uprooted trees, restore road connectivity, drain inundated areas, and rescue people from flooded areas.

The arrangements

The Ganjam teams have been provided with mechanical power saws, telescopic tower lights, rubber boats, combi tools and high-capacity pumps. In Gajapati, rescue teams have also been equipped with boats, cutting equipment and lighting systems. Personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) and fire services have been placed on alert across the district's blocks. The department has arranged 135 high-capacity pumps to drain water from inundated areas, while emergency assistance is available through helpline 112.

In Ganjam, public access to all beaches, including the tourist destinations of Gopalpur and Sonapur, has been prohibited from Monday noon until October 30 forenoon. Thirteen fishing trawlers and 80 fishermen have taken shelter at Gopalpur Port and the Aryapalli fishing jetty as a precaution. Nine trawlers are from Andhra Pradesh and four from Paradip.

Special Relief Commissioner Rajesh Prabhakar Patil said 135 cyclone shelters and 1,600 temporary accommodation centres have been kept ready for possible evacuations.

Schools closed in several districts

In view of the impending Cyclone Arnab, the Odisha government has ordered closure of schools and Anganwadi centres in Rayagada, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Ganjam and Puri districts as a precautionary measure beginning from Tuesday. The Odisha Public Service Commission also rescheduled two days of the Odisha Civil Services (OCS) Main (Written) Examination-2025, shifting the Odia and English Language papers to October 31 and the Essay paper to November 5.

Meanwhile, the Odisha government has urged news outlets, digital content creators and social media platforms to rely on official weather bulletins and avoid circulating unverified cyclone tracks, landfall predictions or impact assessments.

Such speculative forecasts could create panic, disrupt economic activity and undermine public confidence in disaster-response measures, the government said, advising that weather information be verified against IMD bulletins and advisories issued by the Special Relief Commissioner.