Odisha braces for Cyclone Arnab with mass evacuations planned in vulnerable districts.
Schools and public facilities are closed, while cyclone shelters are prepared.
Authorities are coordinating with local leaders, stockpiling supplies, and relocating at-risk individuals to ensure safety ahead of the storm's landfall.
The Odisha government is preparing for mass evacuations, as cyclonic storm Arnab is likely to cause heavy rain and strong winds in the state’s southern districts—particularly Malkangiri, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Ganjam and Gajapati—on October 27. The state government has decided to keep schools, colleges and anganwadi centres closed in the six districts expected to be most affected. Other coastal districts may also receive torrential rain.
A press release by India Meteorological Department on October 26 warns about the cyclonic storm, saying, “It is very likely to move west-northwestwards and intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm over westcentral Bay of Bengal by evening of today, the 26th October and into a very severe cyclonic storm over the same region on 27th October.
Thereafter, it is very likely to move northwestwards and cross Andhra Pradesh & Yanam coasts between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam close to Yanam as a very severe cyclonic storm with the maximum sustained wind speed of 115-125 kmph gusting to 140 kmph by forenoon of 28th October, 2026.”
Media reported Odisha’s Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Kumar Pujari saying the government was on high alert and had made arrangements to evacuate people from vulnerable areas to safer locations before the cyclone made landfall. Odisha has around 880 multipurpose cyclone and flood shelters, which are being readied with necessary facilities and amenities. These shelters are managed by community-based Cyclone Shelter Management and Maintenance Committees in coordination with Panchayati Raj representatives and disaster response forces.
The administration is also coordinating with sarpanches and other elected representatives to ensure that residents follow safety advisories and move to safer places whenever required. Dry food, rice and other essential supplies have been stockpiled, while medical teams and ambulances have been kept on standby. Sick people and pregnant women are being shifted from vulnerable villages to hospitals, Pujari was reported as saying.
J Sonal, Collector of Jagatsinghpur district, tells DTE that regular coordination meetings are being held among government departments and humanitarian agencies to ensure preparedness in areas likely to be affected. Emergency supplies are being positioned in advance, while vulnerable pockets have been identified and cyclone shelters prepared to accommodate residents if evacuation becomes necessary.
The Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA), along with district administrations and government and non-government agencies, regularly conducts mock drills on cyclones, tsunamis and floods. These exercises help raise public awareness, assess emergency response capabilities and improve coordination among agencies, Sonal says.
Bibhuti Bhusan Rout, deputy director (marine) in the Fisheries Department, tells DTE that fishers had been advised on October 25 to return to the coast. The department has registered around 20,000 fishing vessels, including 1,800 trawlers. Loudspeaker announcements are being used to warn fishers against entering the sea amid adverse weather conditions.
The department has also sought assistance from the Indian Coast Guard and marine police to help bring fishermen back to safety. Action will be taken against those who ignore the warnings and venture into the sea, Rout says.
The memory of the devastating super cyclone of October 29, 1999, remains a major concern for coastal communities, particularly in low-lying areas. The disaster claimed thousands of lives in the coastal gram panchayats of Jagatsinghpur district, including areas under Erasama block, underscoring the importance of early evacuation and timely warnings.
Residents in coastal districts, including Puri, Khordha, Kendrapara, Balasore, Bhadrak and Jagatsinghpur, have also been alerted. “We know the ferocity and brute force of the sea and gale. Thus, nobody here is taking chances. We are praying to God,” Bijay Shukla, vice-chairman of Mahakalapada block in Kendrapara district, tells DTE.