Amit Shah Assures Cyclone-Hit States of Central Support as Arnab Weakens

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday spoke with the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry, Odisha and Chhattisgarh and assured them of all possible assistance from the Centre to support people affected by Cyclone Arnab.

In a post on social media platform X, Shah said teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Forces (SDRFs) had launched rescue and relief operations in the affected areas.

He added that Inter-Ministerial Central Teams (IMCTs) would soon be dispatched to assess the extent of the damage and determine the additional assistance required by the states.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD), in its latest bulletin on Thursday, said Cyclonic Storm Arnab had weakened into a deep depression and was expected to further weaken into a depression by Thursday morning, followed by a well-marked low-pressure area by the evening.

Despite the weakening system, heavy rainfall has caused disruption in several parts of eastern and southern India.

In Odisha, at least 17 districts have been affected by heavy rainfall associated with the cyclone, which crossed the Andhra Pradesh coast on Wednesday. Authorities are assessing the impact and monitoring conditions in vulnerable areas.

Andhra Pradesh has reported five deaths linked to the storm. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has announced a relief and compensation package for affected families, farmers, fishermen and businesses to help them recover from the damage.

The weather system has also influenced conditions in other parts of the country. Rainfall activity is expected to ease considerably across Kerala, accompanied by rising daytime temperatures. In Telangana, isolated locations across 12 districts are likely to experience thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds on Thursday.

In Jharkhand, rainfall is expected to intensify in some areas and continue until Friday. Gudabanda in East Singhbhum district recorded 71.4 mm of rainfall from Wednesday evening, the highest reported during the period. Manjhari in West Singhbhum district followed with 64 mm.

Meanwhile, the impact of Cyclone Arnab has revived memories of Cyclone Hudhud, which devastated parts of the region in October 2014. Although Arnab was less severe and did not make landfall in the city, strong winds persisted throughout the night.

Damage to green cover, uprooted electric poles, prolonged power cuts and disruptions to mobile network connectivity brought back memories of the destruction caused by Hudhud 12 years ago.

With rescue and relief operations continuing, the Centre's assistance and the forthcoming damage assessments are expected to help affected states determine their immediate relief requirements and plan recovery measures.