Odisha is preparing for Cyclone Arnab with an explicit goal from the top: zero casualties. As the storm builds over the Bay of Bengal towards an October 28 landfall in Andhra Pradesh, the neighbouring state has cancelled leave for all disaster personnel and put 225 rescue teams on high alert across vulnerable districts.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has reviewed disaster management plans and assigned responsibilities across departments, according to reports of the state’s preparations. The message from Bhubaneswar is that coordination must be settled before the storm arrives, not improvised while it is overhead.
Warnings already issued
The India Meteorological Department has issued a red warning for five Odisha districts for October 28: Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri, Gajapati and Ganjam, where very heavy rainfall is expected, with extremely heavy rain at one or two places. Orange warnings cover seven districts for October 27, and yellow alerts apply to 11 coastal and southern districts.
Puri district has issued an advisory and Chilika Lake boat services have been suspended. Schools have closed in five districts, and fishermen have been advised to return to the coast immediately as sea conditions become very rough, with fishing operations recommended to be suspended in vulnerable areas on October 28 and 29.
The storm itself is still a depression as of Sunday morning, but the forecast track is clear: deep depression by Sunday, cyclonic storm by the morning of October 26, severe cyclonic storm on October 27, and a very severe cyclonic storm reaching the Andhra Pradesh coast around the morning of October 28, with winds of 115 to 125 kilometres per hour, gusting to 140.
Why zero casualties is the test
As the Indian Express reported, coastal districts across northern Andhra Pradesh and southern Odisha are under high alert, with very heavy rainfall forecast through October 29. Odisha will feel the storm’s rain and wind even though landfall is forecast for Andhra Pradesh.
Zero casualties is an ambitious target for a storm of this strength, and it depends on the least dramatic parts of disaster management: warnings that reach every village, shelters that are open before they are needed, and residents who take the advice to stay away from the coast seriously. The teams are in place. The next three days will show whether the preparation was enough.
