Cyclone Arnab wreaks havoc in Odisha: 3 dead, thousands affected by floods

• Three killed, including a nine-month-old baby, as cyclone Arnab triggers landslides and floods across southern Odisha

• Thousands affected in Ganjam, Gajapati and Kandhamal, with over 23,000 people in relief camps and large-scale rescue operations underway

• Relief efforts intensified, with Navy and Coast Guard helicopters deployed, while President Droupadi Murmu cancelled her Odisha visit amid the crisis

At least three people, including a nine-month-old baby, died in a landslide in Odisha as heavy rainfall triggered by cyclone ‘Arnab’ battered the state’s southern districts on Friday, flooding hundreds of villages and leaving thousands of people affected.

The cyclone, initially forecast to have a greater impact on neighbouring Andhra Pradesh and cause relatively less damage in Odisha, changed course and caused extensive destruction in Ganjam, Gajapati and Kandhamal districts, chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi said.

“The state was expecting damages in Malkangiri district bordering Andhra Pradesh, but ‘Arnab’ wreaked havoc in Ganjam, Gajapati and Kandhamal districts,” Majhi said.

Continuous heavy rainfall led to a sharp rise in river levels and triggered nearly a dozen landslides across the affected districts. In one such incident in Kandhamal, a couple and their nine-month-old son were buried in a landslide and died, a minister said.

The chief minister announced an ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh each for the families of the deceased.

With large parts of southern Odisha submerged, the state government has stepped up rescue and relief operations, deploying four helicopters belonging to the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard to airdrop food packets in flood-hit areas of Ganjam district.

Following an aerial survey of the affected areas along with disaster management minister Suresh Pujari, Majhi said the government had immediately sought assistance from the Centre after receiving information about the cyclone's change in course.

Special relief commissioner Rajesh P Patil said food packets had been airdropped at 21 identified locations in Ganjam.

Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) were also using boats to deliver cooked food to people stranded in inundated villages, despite difficult weather conditions and strong water currents.

More than 23,000 people were staying in relief camps, although the number of those stranded in flood-hit areas was considerably higher, Pujari said.

Of the 313 rescue teams deployed across Odisha, more than 100 were operating in Ganjam and Gajapati districts.

Around 50,000 people have been severely affected by the floods in Ganjam, while the corresponding figures for Gajapati and Kandhamal stand at 30,000 and 12,000, respectively, the minister said.

The state government has also sanctioned an additional Rs 20 crore for Ganjam district to accelerate relief and rescue operations.

A central team is scheduled to visit Odisha on 2 November to assess the damage caused by the cyclone-induced floods.

The overflowing Rushikulya river has caused extensive damage in Ganjam district, inundating several villages, damaging bridges and washing away roads, engineer-in-chief of the Water Resources Department Dilip K. Rout said.

Floodwaters entered residential areas in several locations, with Sorada, Aska, Bhanjanagar and Purushottampur among the worst-affected towns. Several areas of Sanakhemundi also remained inundated.

Ganjam collector V. Keerthi Vasan said rescue and relief operations had been intensified, with relief materials being distributed among affected residents since Thursday.

To strengthen the district administration's response, the government deployed 30 senior Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) officers to assist with relief and rescue work.

President Droupadi Murmu cancelled her scheduled three-day visit to Odisha from 3 November in view of the prevailing situation.

She spoke to chief minister Majhi and enquired about the wellbeing of people affected by the floods.

Meanwhile, the Opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Congress and Left parties criticised the BJP-led state government, alleging that it had failed to take adequate preventive measures despite advance warnings issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Majhi, however, said the administration was working round the clock to provide assistance to those affected.

“Protecting lives and property of the people during times of crisis is my utmost priority,” he said in a post on X, adding that officials had been instructed to ensure uninterrupted supplies of food, drinking water and emergency medical assistance.

He also directed the administration to speed up the restoration of damaged roads and bridges, electricity supply and take steps to address possible post-flood health concerns.

Urging residents to remain in safe places and follow the instructions of local authorities and rescue teams, the chief minister said the government stood firmly with people during the crisis.

There was some relief on the transport front as National Highway-16, which connects Kolkata and Chennai, became operational after water levels in the Bahuda river receded, Transport Minister B B Jena said.

Rail services have also resumed, although several trains continued to remain cancelled or short-terminated because of congestion caused by waterlogging along railway routes, an official said.

With PTI inputs