Cyclone Arnab-triggered floods and landslides killed three people and devastated southern Odisha. The disaster displaced thousands, prompting large-scale rescues and a central damage assessment.
At least three people, including a nine-month-old baby, died in a landslide in Odisha on Friday as heavy rain triggered by cyclone ‘Arnab’ flooded hundreds of villages in the southern part of the state, news agency Press Trust of India reported, citing officials.
The cyclone caused widespread damage in Ganjam, Gajapati and Kandhamal districts, while more than 23,000 people were staying in relief camps. Rescue teams used helicopters and boats to deliver food and other assistance to people stranded in flooded areas.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said the cyclone was initially expected to have a greater impact on Andhra Pradesh and cause relatively less damage in Odisha. “The state was expecting damages in Malkangiri district bordering Andhra Pradesh, but ‘Arnab’ wreaked havoc in Ganjam, Gajapati and Kandhamal districts,” he said.
Continuous heavy rain in the three districts caused river levels to rise sharply and triggered nearly a dozen landslides. In one such incident in Kandhamal district, a couple and their nine-month-old son died, a minister said. The chief minister announced financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh each for the families of the deceased.
President Droupadi Murmu cancelled her three-day visit to Odisha, which was scheduled to begin on November 3, because of the situation. She also spoke to the chief minister and enquired about the wellbeing of people affected by the disaster.
The state government intensified rescue and relief operations and deployed four Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard helicopters to airdrop food packets in flood-hit Ganjam district.
After conducting an aerial survey of the affected areas with Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari, Majhi said the state had immediately sought the Centre’s assistance after learning that the cyclone had changed course.
Special Relief Commissioner Rajesh P Patil told PTI that food packets had been airdropped at 21 identified locations in Ganjam district. National Disaster Response Force and Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force personnel also used boats to transport cooked food to stranded people despite bad weather and strong water currents, officials said.
Pujari said more than 23,000 people were staying in relief camps, while the number of people stranded in flooded areas was considerably higher. Of the 313 rescue teams deployed across Odisha, more than 100 were working in Ganjam and Gajapati districts.
Around 50,000 people were severely affected by the floods in Ganjam, followed by 30,000 in Gajapati and 12,000 in Kandhamal, the minister said. After the chief minister’s aerial survey, the state government sanctioned an additional Rs 20 crore for relief and rescue operations in Ganjam.
A central team will visit Odisha on November 2 to assess the damage caused by the cyclone-triggered floods, Pujari said.
Dilip K Rout, Engineer-in-Chief of the Water Resources Department, said the overflowing Rushikulya river had caused extensive damage in Ganjam, flooding several villages, damaging bridges and washing away roads.
Floodwaters entered residential areas, with Sorada, Aska, Bhanjanagar and Purushottampur among the worst affected. Several areas in Sanakhemundi were also flooded, officials told PTI.
Ganjam Collector V Keerthi Vasan said rescue and relief operations had been intensified and relief materials had been distributed among affected people since Thursday. The government also deployed 30 senior Odisha Administrative Service officers to assist the Ganjam district administration with the operations.
Meanwhile, the Opposition BJD, Congress and Left parties criticised the BJP government, alleging that it had failed to take adequate preventive measures despite advance warnings from the India Meteorological Department.
The chief minister said the administration was working round the clock to help those affected. “Protecting lives and property of the people during times of crisis is my utmost priority. The entire administration is working round the clock to ensure that food, drinking water, and emergency healthcare reach those affected without any hindrance. Instructions have been given to further expedite relief and rescue operations,” Majhi said in a post on X.
He also directed officials to speed up the repair of damaged roads and bridges, restore electricity supply and address possible health problems after the floods.
