With the blessings of Lord Jagannath, Odisha has successfully achieved its “zero casualty” target in the wake of Cyclone Arnab. Speaking to the media after reviewing the cyclone’s management at the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Control Room on Wednesday evening, Chief Minister Mohan Charna Majhi confirmed that no loss of life has been reported thus far.
The state’s robust disaster management machinery was on full display. The Chief Minister revealed that prior to and during the landfall, Union Home Minister Amit Shah remained in frequent contact to discuss preparedness. The Odisha government also maintained continuous coordination with the neighboring Andhra Pradesh administration.
During the high-level review, SRC Sri Rajesh Prabhakar Patil provided a detailed briefing on the cyclone’s trajectory and impact. Following this, the Chief Minister held telephonic discussions with Deputy Chief Ministers and cabinet colleagues tasked with overseeing ground zero. This included updates from Deputy CM Sri Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo in Koraput, Minister Sri Suryabanshi Suraj in Gajapati, and Minister Sri Nityananda Gond in Malkangiri, covering rainfall intensity, structural damage, river water levels, and shelter management.
To combat the severe weather, the state government assigned monitoring responsibilities to two Deputy Chief Ministers, six Ministers, and seven IAS officers. On the ground, a formidable force of 313 response teams was deployed, comprising 60 ODRAF, 9 NDRF, and 244 Fire Services units.
Their coordinated efforts ensured the safe evacuation of 43,827 people across 634 shelters in eight heavily affected districts: Malkangiri, Koraput, Nabarangpur, Rayagada, Kalahandi, Ganjam, Gajapati, and Nuapada. Relief camps are currently operational, providing cooked meals, dry rations, safe drinking water, and essential medicines.
In a significant administrative achievement, 2,245 pregnant women were preemptively shifted to nearby health centers, resulting in the safe birth of 931 newborns during the severe weather event. Furthermore, early warnings ensured that 19,143 fishing boats operating from Ganjam to Balasore returned to shore, marking a 100% success rate in safeguarding the state’s fishermen.
Rainfall data indicates that 17 blocks in the state received over 105 mm of rain. Pottangi in Koraput recorded the highest rainfall at 188 mm, followed closely by Mohana in Gajapati with 182.4 mm. Gajapati emerged as the district most severely impacted by the heavy downpours.
While expressing satisfaction with the state and district administrations’ preparedness, the Chief Minister noted that the government remains on high alert. With potential waterlogging threats looming over low-lying areas due to persistent rain, sweeping directives have been issued to deploy high-capacity pumps for immediate water drainage.
The review meeting was attended by Revenue & Disaster Management Minister Sri Suresh Pujari, Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue) Dr. Arabinda Padhee, and senior officials of the SRC.
