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Cyclone Arnab leaves about 300 Ganjam villages marooned as Rushikulya overflows; Odisha plans airlift
About 300 Ganjam villages in Odisha are marooned after days of extremely heavy rain from Cyclone Arnab, with the Rushikulya overflowing at Sorada. Odisha plans to airlift 120 people first with a Coast Guard helicopter. In Andhra Pradesh a railway bridge in Srikakulam is submerged.
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About 300 villages in Odisha's Ganjam district were marooned on Thursday, 29 October, after days of extremely heavy rain brought by Cyclone Arnab, and the state is arranging to airlift stranded people. The Rushikulya river overflowed at Sorada after three days of rain. In neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, a railway bridge in Srikakulam district is submerged and trains on both sides of it have stopped.
Where the floods are
Heavy rain and flash floods have hit Ganjam. Sorada is among the worst-affected places, and Aska and Digapahandi are also badly hit. In Aska the river is flowing close to its danger level. Digapahandi block has had incessant rain for two days, and several areas there are flooded. Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena said that most of the stranded people are in villages across the Sanakhemundi and Aska blocks.
The reports give no rainfall figures and no death toll for Odisha. They refer only to extremely heavy rain over several days.
The airlift
The state is working with the Union Home Ministry to airlift stranded people. In the first phase, 120 people are to be taken out, and the Indian Coast Guard is expected to provide a helicopter. Officials warned that low cloud and continuing rain could delay the flights, and the reports do not confirm that the flights have started. Teams of the National Disaster Response Force and the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force are carrying out rescue work, and an additional team of the state force was sent to Ganjam, with a senior officer monitoring the evacuations.
Chief Secretary Anu Garg said that Ganjam was severely affected by extremely heavy rain over several days, that arrangements are being made to airlift people from the marooned areas and that she hoped the rain would ease. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi spoke to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who assured Odisha and the other affected states of all possible help. Majhi said on X that the Centre's cooperation would strengthen efforts to protect lives and speed up relief and restoration.
Andhra Pradesh
In Srikakulam district a railway bridge is under water and trains have stopped on both sides of the stretch. Officials are considering evacuating stranded passengers by road, and if that is not possible, the passengers will be housed at nearby railway stations.
The toll in Andhra Pradesh is reported differently. Reports from Wednesday said three people had died, that 31 houses were damaged and that 764 villages were affected, and a headline on Thursday gave a toll of six dead in Andhra Pradesh. The figures are likely to change as the assessment goes on.
| Place | Situation reported on Thursday |
|---|---|
| Ganjam, Odisha | About 300 villages marooned; Rushikulya overflowing at Sorada; Aska river near danger level |
| Odisha response | Airlift of 120 people planned in the first phase; NDRF and ODRAF teams at work |
| Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh | Railway bridge submerged; trains halted on both sides |
| Andhra Pradesh toll | Three dead in earlier reports; six in a later headline |
| Place | Wednesday's reports | Thursday's reports |
|---|---|---|
| Andhra Pradesh deaths | Three, with 31 houses damaged and 764 villages affected | Six, in one headline |
| People in relief camps (Andhra Pradesh) | About 57,000 | Not updated |
| NDRF teams | 39 in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and nearby, with more sent by the Indian Air Force | Rescue teams active in Ganjam |
| Ganjam, Odisha | Heavy rain | About 300 villages marooned |
The storm weakened after landfall and was expected to turn into a deep depression as it moved across southern Odisha towards Chhattisgarh. The weather office had warned of a flash-flood risk in 13 districts of Andhra Pradesh and Yanam until early on Thursday, and of squally weather along the coasts of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal and the northern Tamil Nadu coast until Friday morning. Thunderstorms were forecast for coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam from 30 October to 3 November.
People in low-lying areas near the Rushikulya and other rivers in Ganjam should move to higher ground or shelters when told to, avoid crossing flooded roads and bridges, and keep away from electric poles and wires. Anyone who needs rescue should call the state's emergency helpline or the district control room. Travellers on the trains of the affected routes should check the railway's announcements before they set out.
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4 min
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