India prepares for cyclone Arnab as thousands face evacuation

Authorities in eastern India are conducting mass evacuations across two coastal states as cyclone Arnab approaches. The storm, which formed over the Bay of Bengal, is forecast to make landfall in Andhra Pradesh by Wednesday morning with sustained wind speeds reaching up to 140 km/h. Meteorologists warn that the system is likely to intensify further before striking the coast, bringing heavy to extremely heavy rainfall to northern and central coastal regions of Andhra Pradesh and southern parts of Odisha.

In preparation for the impact, officials in Andhra Pradesh have ordered all vessels at sea to return to shore and initiated emergency protocols to restore power rapidly in case of outages. Local authorities have also mandated a two-day closure of schools in affected districts to ensure student safety. Emergency management teams remain on high alert to coordinate the relocation of thousands of residents from low-lying coastal areas to inland shelters as the region braces for potential widespread disruption.