Cyclone Arnab struck India\u2019s eastern coast on Wednesday (28 October\n2026), bringing down trees and electricity poles and forcing thousands\nof people to seek shelter. Local authorities said more than 180,000\npeople had been evacuated from the states of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha\nbefore the storm arrived.<\/p>\n
As of Wednesday afternoon, Reuters reported, no deaths had been\nreported in either state. However, the cyclone had disrupted electricity\nsupplies and felled many trees. Some schools were closed, while several\ntrain services and flights were cancelled.<\/p>\n
The India Meteorological Department classified Arnab as a very severe\ncyclonic storm, the third-highest category on its scale. The cyclone\nbegan making landfall on the Andhra Pradesh coast on Wednesday morning,\nbefore its centre moved fully inland.<\/p>\n
Television footage showed trees blocking roads. Workers in rain\nprotection gear were seen clearing branches and leaves to reopen access\nroutes.<\/p>\n
Nagi, a resident of Kakinada district in Andhra Pradesh, which lay in\nthe storm\u2019s path, described residents\u2019 anxiety as floodwaters began\nthreatening their homes.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one knows whose house the water will enter next, or whose house\nwill be submerged,\u201d Nagi said.<\/p>\n
Nagi said the storm had damaged homes and destroyed residents\u2019\nbelongings.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrees have fallen, houses have been damaged, and all our belongings,\nincluding our books, have been destroyed,\u201d said Nagi, who did not give a\nsurname.<\/p>\n
The government had previously warned fishermen along the coast not to\ngo to sea. The India Meteorological Department also forecast that the\ncyclone could damage crops, thatched-roof homes and communications\nnetworks.<\/p>\n
Wind speeds were expected to reach 125\u2013135 kilometres per hour, with\ngusts of up to 150 kilometres per hour. A storm surge of 1 to 1.5 metres\nabove normal tide levels could also inundate low-lying areas of Andhra\nPradesh.<\/p>\n
India\u2019s Civil Aviation Ministry said operations at three airports in\nAndhra Pradesh had been temporarily suspended because of the\nweather.<\/p>\n
The storm\u2019s effects were also felt in neighbouring Nepal. Authorities\nthere suspended the issuance of permits for climbing in high-altitude\nareas for three days because of the risk of heavy rain and\nsnowstorms.<\/p>\n
Gita Ghimire, an information officer at Nepal\u2019s Department of\nImmigration, told Reuters the measure was taken in anticipation of\ndangerous weather in mountainous areas.<\/p>\n
The temporary suspension came as Nepal entered the peak climbing\nseason, when around 750 climbers receive permits each day.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, Nepal\u2019s government warned tourists not to enter\nhigh-altitude areas. Cyclone Arnab was feared to bring heavy rain,\nsnowstorms and avalanches to the Himalayan region from Thursday night\nthrough Saturday.<\/p>\n
Arnab formed in the Bay of Bengal, one of the main areas where\ntropical cyclones develop and often trigger deadly storms along India\u2019s\neastern coast.<\/p>\n
India has a long history of facing similar disasters. In October\n1999, a super-cyclone struck Odisha and killed nearly 10,000 people,\nmaking it one of the deadliest natural disasters in the country\u2019s\nhistory.<\/p>\n
India has since developed early-warning systems and various\npreventive measures over the years to reduce fatalities when major\nstorms hit.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/disaster-strikes-india-as-180-000-people-evacuated-1793202644", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }