Odisha has evacuated 59,028 people after cyclone Arnab triggered flooding across nine districts. The evacuees include 3,001 pregnant women. Officials said on Thursday that homes have been inundated, villages cut off, and transport disrupted.
Authorities have deployed 313 disaster response teams. Rescue work is concentrated in Ganjam and Gajapati, where heavy rainfall left settlements isolated.
Cyclone Arnab Flooding: Airlifts Begin in Ganjam
Some villages in Ganjam are unreachable even by boat. Authorities have started airlifting residents stranded in these areas. This is the clearest sign of how serious the situation has become on the ground — when boats cannot get through, the only way out is by air.
The flooding has also hit transport across the state. Rail services have been disrupted, and national highways are affected. Educational institutions in Ganjam and Gajapati have been ordered shut until 31 October.
Why Ganjam and Gajapati Are the Focus
Ganjam and Gajapati have borne the brunt of the rainfall. Homes in these districts are flooded, and many settlements are cut off from the outside. The evacuation numbers reflect this — the state has moved tens of thousands of people to safer ground, with special attention to pregnant women who need medical care.
- 59,028 people evacuated across nine districts
- 3,001 pregnant women among those evacuated
- 313 rescue teams deployed by the state
- Airlifts underway for villages inaccessible to boats in Ganjam
- Rail services and national highways disrupted
- Schools and colleges shut in Ganjam and Gajapati until 31 October
Our Take: A Large Evacuation, but the Hard Part Is Still Ahead
To put it plainly, moving nearly 60,000 people out of harm's way is a serious operation, and the focus on pregnant women shows the state is thinking about the most vulnerable first. That deserves credit.
But the airlifts in Ganjam tell us something important: some people are still trapped. The evacuation is not finished. The coming days will test whether the 313 teams can reach every isolated village before conditions worsen.
In our view, readers in Odisha should take the school closures and transport disruptions seriously. Flooding of this scale does not clear quickly. The state has acted fast — now the priority is making sure no stranded village is left waiting for help.
We will keep watching how the rescue operation in Ganjam and Gajapati develops.
