Two states along the eastern coast were preparing to evacuate thousands of people ahead of Cyclone Arnab, which is expected to make landfall tomorrow, as one of them said it would close schools in some districts for two days.
Arnab, which formed over the Bay of Bengal before intensifying into a cyclonic storm, is expected to make landfall in Andhra Pradesh state by tomorrow morning, with gusts of as much as 140kph, India’s weather office said.
The cyclone will probably intensify further, it added.
The weather system is expected to bring heavy to extremely heavy rainfall to Andhra Pradesh’s northern and central coastal districts, and southern regions of neighbouring Odisha.
Andhra Pradesh has called for boats at sea to return ashore and ordered speedy restoration of power in case of disruptions.
A senior Andhra Pradesh disaster management official said yesterday the state government had identified 570,000 people as vulnerable and evacuations were to start yesterday evening.
Odisha’s government announced the closure of schools and colleges in five districts for today and tomorrow, and said it was preparing to move residents of low-lying areas to cyclone shelters. — Reuters
