Andhra Pradesh authorities evacuate at least 89,000 people ahead of Cyclone Arnab

State disaster-management authority says more than 12 million live along the expected path

On Tuesday, Andhra Pradesh authorities evacuated at least 89,000 people from low-lying and flood-prone coastal areas as Cyclone Arnab moved over the Bay of Bengal toward India’s east coast, according to an official statement.

The Andhra Pradesh disaster management authority said the cyclone’s outer bands had begun lashing parts of the coast late Tuesday. The storm intensified as it moved toward an earlier-than-expected landfall.

The India Meteorological Department said Cyclone Arnab had strengthened into a “very severe” cyclonic storm. The agency expected it to make landfall along the Andhra Pradesh coast by early Wednesday morning, with gusting winds and heavy rain.

That timing was earlier than officials had previously projected, when they had expected a landing later in the morning. Prakhar Jain, a top disaster management official in Andhra Pradesh, said “There is a possibility it will fully reach the coast between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. local time.”

Jain said “heavy to very heavy” rainfall was expected in several districts under the influence of the cyclone. Officials also warned of extremely heavy rain and strong gusty winds in parts of the coastal region on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Winds of up to 140 kph (87 mph) could accompany the storm at landfall, officials said. Cyclone Arnab was moving at about 20 kph (12 mph), Jain said.

Authorities placed all of Andhra Pradesh’s coastal districts on high alert and continued evacuations from low-lying and flood-prone areas. They canceled some train services as heavy rain and gusty winds had already begun lashing parts of the coast.

More than 12 million people lived along the cyclone’s expected path, the state disaster management authority said. Authorities set up more than 2,000 cyclone shelters across 20 districts, while emergency alerts were being sent to the mobile phones of millions of residents, Jain said, according to the Press Trust of India news agency.

More than 30,000 fishing boats were secured along the coast, and nearly 1,100 medical teams were deployed across affected areas to provide emergency assistance, Jain said.

In neighboring Odisha, officials planned to evacuate about 48,000 people from areas likely to be affected by Cyclone Arnab.

“These critical hours require utmost vigilance,” Jain said. Cyclone Arnab remained over the Bay of Bengal on Tuesday, with landfall expected early Wednesday as evacuation and emergency preparations continued in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.