Cyclone Arnab to hit Andhra coast this afternoon; over 100 trains, 21 flights cancelled

Severe Cyclonic Storm Arnab, which formed in the Bay of Bengal, is expected to hit the coast near Yanam, between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, on Wednesday (October 28) afternoon. Coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh and North Chennai have borne the brunt of the storm. Normal life has come to a complete standstill in many places.

More than 100 trains and 21 flights have been cancelled because of the storm. Alerts have been issued in more than 20 districts. Transport services have been badly disrupted.

In North Chennai's coastal area, seawater suddenly rushed in in large volumes, submerging roads and the entire locality. Strong waves are hitting people and vehicles passing along the road.

In Kakinada, the storm has uprooted trees in several places, power is out and roads are under water. In Machilipatnam too, trees have fallen amid heavy rain and strong winds, roads are blocked and waterlogging has been seen in many areas.

The administration has appealed to people not to step out of their homes for safety. Fire brigade and rescue teams are working on a war footing to clear fallen trees from roads and carry out relief work. The sea is extremely rough at Digha beach in West Bengal and at R.K. Beach in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, with high waves rising.

The 21 cancelled flights are from four airports, including those at Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada. Air India has issued a special advisory asking air passengers to check the current situation before leaving for the airport.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), winds in the coastal area are blowing at 115 to 125 kmph and could reach 140 kmph. A serious risk of flash floods in the next few hours has been flagged for Anakapalli, Kakinada, Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram districts.

A high alert is in force in several states in the storm's path. These include Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Puducherry, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Telangana, north-eastern Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Delhi, Haryana and the north-eastern states. Heavy rain warnings have been issued for these states.

The administration has so far moved about 1.35 lakh people to safe places and emergency arrangements are in place. It has asked people to follow its instructions and to avoid going to the seashore or low-lying areas.