The Odisha state administration has reached full preparedness to tackle the impending threat of Severe Cyclonic Storm ‘Arnab’.
Addressing a press conference on Tuesday morning, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Rajesh Prabhakar Patil announced that nearly 48,000 people residing in vulnerable areas across eight districts will be evacuated to safe shelters by Tuesday evening.
Malkangiri district, expected to face the highest impact, will see the maximum evacuation of around 9,850 individuals. Pregnant women are being relocated to nearby healthcare centres and safe shelters.
To manage emergency preparedness, the state government has released Rs 19 crore from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), allocating Rs 5 crore to Ganjam district and Rs 2 crore each to Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati, Nabarangpur, Kalahandi, and Kandhamala.
To ensure safety and relief, 135 permanent cyclone shelters and nearly 1,600 temporary shelter centres have been prepared. NDRF, ODRAF, and Fire Services teams are deployed across vulnerable zones, with additional forces kept on reserve in Koraput, Chhatrapur, and Mundali. Additionally, 1,900 metric tonnes of cattle feed have been stockpiled.
With heavy rainfall and wind speeds of 60 to 90 km/h expected in southern Odisha, educational institutions in five key districts will remain closed on Oct 28 and 29.
Reaffirming the government’s ‘Zero Casualty’ objective, the SRC urged citizens to follow official advisories and avoid spreading unverified rumours.
