New Delhi. In Andhra Pradesh, India, after the powerful Cyclone Arnab is forecast to hit the coastal region by Wednesday, the authorities have started moving the residents of the risk areas to safer places.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that when the cyclone reaches the coast, the wind speed can reach up to 140 km per hour.
In a bulletin issued by the department on Tuesday, Arnab is predicted to enter the coast as a ‘very severe cyclonic storm’. According to local media, Andhra Pradesh authorities have instructed people from low and high risk areas to move to safer places. In some districts, all educational institutions have been closed from Tuesday to Saturday.
State Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu has instructed to continuously monitor the storm and take precautionary measures, according to a statement issued by his office on Monday. According to The Indian Express, more than 4,700 pregnant women living in potentially dangerous areas have been shifted to hospitals.
The Indian Meteorological Department has warned that due to the cyclone, vulnerable houses may completely collapse, floods may occur in local areas, and electricity and communication poles may collapse. The department estimates that the storm may cause extensive damage to the crops planted in the fields.
Cyclones have been a regular risk in the Bay of Bengal and the northern Indian Ocean. Such storms are called ‘Hurricanes’ in the North Atlantic and ‘Typhoons’ in the Pacific Ocean. It is mentioned in the news that this time the El Nino weather event has increased the temperature exceptionally and the storm season has become more powerful.
Meanwhile, a warning of torrential rain has also been issued in neighboring Sri Lanka. The Department of Meteorology there has closed schools citing the risk of flash floods and landslides due to the storm. According to the Colombo-based Disaster Management Center, the army has also been put on alert. -AFP