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Thousands Evacuate India’s Eastern Coast as Cyclone Arnab Nears Landfall in Andhra Pradesh

Nearly 50,000 people had moved to shelters by Monday night, out of an estimated 400,000 who need to leave vulnerable areas, as Cyclone Arnab approaches Andhra Pradesh with landfall expected by Wednesday morning.

Palm trees bending in strong wind on a sandy beach as large waves roll in under dark storm clouds

Thousands of people have been moved from vulnerable areas along India’s eastern coast as Cyclone Arnab moves toward landfall in Andhra Pradesh, with nearly 50,000 people in shelters by Monday night and evacuations still under way on Tuesday, according to Reuters.

Arnab formed over the Bay of Bengal and strengthened since Monday, India’s weather office said on Tuesday. It is expected to make landfall in Andhra Pradesh by Wednesday morning, bringing strong winds and intense showers to parts of that state and to neighboring Odisha state.

About 400,000 people are estimated to need evacuation in Andhra Pradesh, Prakhar Jain, managing director of the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority, told Reuters. “Evacuation is continuing,” Jain said.

Rows of empty cots with blankets and stacked bottled water and boxes in a large shelter hall
Rows of empty cots with blankets and stacked bottled water and boxes in a large shelter hall

Schools closed and trains suspended

Odisha had not started evacuations as of Tuesday, Rajesh Prabhakar Patil, the state’s special relief commissioner, told Reuters. The state had already announced the closure of schools and colleges in five districts for Tuesday and Wednesday.

Television pictures showed waves crashing on deserted beaches and shuttered shops along affected stretches of coast, Reuters reported. At least 12 trains were cancelled in the east, while rail services on 53 routes along the southern coast were suspended for Tuesday and Wednesday, regional railway authorities said in social media posts.

A wet coastal street lined with shuttered shops and sandbags, with palm trees bending in wind under grey skies
A wet coastal street lined with shuttered shops and sandbags, with palm trees bending in wind under grey skies

The storm is also expected to reach beyond the coast. In neighboring Nepal, authorities cautioned tourists against going into high altitude areas, saying Cyclone Arnab could bring torrential downpours, snowstorms and avalanches in the Himalayan region from Thursday night through Saturday.

A coast exposed to Bay of Bengal storms

Nepal is still recovering from a deadly flash flood in August that killed about 1,500 people, Reuters reported. The Bay of Bengal is one of the world’s main regions for tropical cyclones, which leaves India’s eastern coast exposed to sea-linked weather disasters.

Heavy rain falling on a wet coastal road beside low houses and palm trees
Heavy rain falling on a wet coastal road beside low houses and palm trees

Officials in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha have not reported deaths linked to Arnab so far in the coverage reviewed for this article. The landfall forecast, the evacuation count and the transport suspensions remain subject to change as the storm moves closer to shore.

Reporting based on coverage by Reuters.