Indian authorities are evacuating tens of thousands of people from the country’s eastern coast, where a powerful tropical cyclone is expected to make landfall on Wednesday morning.
Arnab, as the storm is called, originated in the Bay of Bengal and is expected to hit major coastal cities in the state of Andhra Pradesh, bringing heavy rainfall and winds up to 150 kilometers per hour, or 93 m.p.h., according to the India Meteorological Department. It has been classified as a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm, the third highest category in the I.M.D.’s storm classification system.
Andhra Pradesh, and the neighboring state of Odisha, are moving to evacuate more than 130,000 residents from vulnerable areas to disaster shelters, while the authorities have also closed schools and instructed fishing boats not to go out to sea. The country’s railway has canceled at least 61 trains. Several flights have also been canceled or diverted. With Arnab expected to cut inland and head north, the authorities in Nepal, which lies in its anticipated path, have also issued alerts for potential heavy rainfall and flooding later in the week.
The Bay of Bengal is a major cradle for powerful tropical storms, many of which occur in October and November, following the monsoon season, and often devastate the eastern side of the Indian subcontinent. Cyclone Hudhud, one such storm that hit Andhra Pradesh and Odisha in 2014, caused $11 billion in damages and led to more than 40 deaths.
The post India Evacuates Tens of Thousands as Powerful Cyclone Approaches appeared first on New York Times.
