In view of the approaching cyclone, the South Coast Railway zone has cancelled 53 trains as part of precautionary measures to ensure passenger safety and minimize disruptions to railway operations.
In a review meeting, Sandeep Mathur, General Manager of the South Coast Railway zone, discussed the precautionary measures and disaster management preparedness to ensure the safety of passengers, railway personnel and train operations.
According to Met Department, the southwest cyclone is expected to make landfall between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam by the forenoon of October 28. Squally winds of up to 125 kmph, with gusts reaching 140 kmph as expected during the landfall.
A red alert has been issued in the following districts of Andhra Pradesh: Eluru, NTR, Krishna, Konaseema, Kakinada, East Godavari, West Godavari, Guntur, Alluri Sitharama Raju, Anakapalli, Vishakhapatnam
Meanwhile, as a precautionary move the Andaman and Nicobar Islands administration and Odisha government has ordered schools to remain closed until Tuesday. Besides, education centers, Anganwadi centres in six Odisha districts—Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Kandhamal, Koraput and Nabarangpur— to remain close on October 28 and 29.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been deployed, with additional teams including Rescue and relief teams from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Indian Coast Guard are also prepared for emergency operations, with ships and aircraft.
The Indian Coast Guard has assisted several ships in moving to safety and alerted other vessels at sea to return to the coast. Andhra Pradesh and Odisha have also prohibited fishing and ordered individuals to not venture into the sea ahead of the cyclone’s expected landfall on Wednesday to prevent loss of life and minimise infrastructure damage.
Cyclone Arnab: Rainfall Alert for West Bengal
Light to moderate rainfall is predicted in several districts of South Bengal between October 27 and 30. These include North and South 24 Parganas, Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Howrah, Hooghly and Kolkata.
The sub-Himalayan districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri may also experience heavy rainfall on October 29 and 30 the bulletin added.
Squally winds are expected along and off the West Bengal coast from October 27, prompting authorities to remain alert as the cyclone approaches the eastern coast.