Cyclone Arnab has claimed three lives and damaged 31 houses in Andhra Pradesh, while at least 22 express and passenger train services have been cancelled or suspended between October 27 and November 5 due to the impact of the cyclone, officials said on Wednesday.
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Inspector General Narendra Singh Bundela said Andhra Pradesh had been the worst-affected state, with strong winds and rainfall reported in several districts. Preliminary reports indicated a relatively limited impact in Odisha, he added.
According to Bundela, a total of 39 NDRF teams have been deployed across Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and neighbouring areas, including Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Puducherry, Telangana and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Four additional NDRF teams were sent to Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday night.
Around 57,000 people have been shifted to relief camps in Andhra Pradesh, while 38 people were evacuated from Yanam on Tuesday night, he said.
The cyclone made landfall along the Andhra Pradesh–Yanam coast and weakened from a very severe cyclonic storm to a severe cyclonic storm. It is expected to weaken further into a cyclonic storm and subsequently a deep depression, Bundela said.
Disaster response teams from the Centre, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha are preparing to deal with the effects of continued rainfall in the two states and adjoining regions.
Meanwhile, railway services have been disrupted due to the cyclone. Among the affected trains are the Visakhapatnam–Kirandul and Rourkela–Jagdalpur services, with several cancellations scheduled between October 29 and November 4. Departure dates of some trains, including the Howrah–Jagdalpur Samaleswari Express, have also been changed.
The Bhubaneswar–Jagdalpur Hirakhand Express will terminate at Rayagada instead of Jagdalpur from October 27 to October 30. The Jagdalpur–Bhubaneswar Hirakhand Express will originate from Rayagada from October 28 to October 31.
Railways have advised passengers to check the latest train schedules and cancellation updates through the National Train Enquiry System (NTES) or the official Indian Railways website before commencing their journeys.
-Ani
