Hyderabad. At least 89,000 people have been evacuated after Cyclone Arnab hit the coast of Andhra Pradesh, India. The cyclone that crossed the coast on Wednesday morning brought strong winds and heavy rains, affecting life in the coastal areas.
According to Prakhar Jain, head of the State Disaster Management Authority, the cyclone weakened a bit before entering the coast, but the maximum wind speed reached up to 185 kilometers per hour. It has caused heavy to very heavy rains in various coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh.
As the cyclone moves inland, it is expected to weaken further and the wind speed will drop to 110 km per hour the next day. There was no immediate report of any casualties in the incident.
According to the Indian Meteorological Department, coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh and parts of neighboring Odisha are likely to experience heavy rains and strong winds for the next four hours. Mrityunjay Mohapatra, head of the department, said that the front of the cyclone has entered the land and it will take about four hours to complete the entire process of crossing the coast.
Late on Tuesday, Arnab had turned into a very powerful cyclonic storm. After that, strong winds and heavy rains started in the coastal area. According to officials of the State Disaster Management Authority, after the storm intensified in the Bay of Bengal, its outer part started affecting the coast of Andhra Pradesh since Tuesday night. The cyclone crossed the coast earlier than expected.
Keeping in view the risk of cyclone, the authorities had put all the coastal districts of the state on high alert on Tuesday. Residents of low-lying areas and flood-prone areas were moved to safer places. Train services were also canceled after heavy rains and strong winds started in some areas.
According to the State Disaster Management Authority, more than 12 million people live in the likely path of the cyclone. According to the Press Trust of India news agency, authorities have set up more than 2,000 cyclone shelters in 20 districts. An emergency warning message has been sent to the mobile phones of millions of residents who are at risk.
According to Jain, more than 30,000 fishing boats have been kept safe in the coastal area, while around 1,000 health teams have been mobilized to provide emergency aid. Meanwhile, authorities in neighboring Odisha have planned to evacuate around 48,000 people from areas likely to be affected by the cyclone. -ap