Centre promises relief as Cyclone Arnab disrupts four states (Img: IANS)
New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday assured all possible assistance from the Centre to Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Puducherry and Chhattisgarh, which have been affected by Cyclone Arnab, triggering extremely heavy rainfall and hardship in several areas.
In a post on X, Shah said he had spoken to the chief ministers of all four states and reviewed the situation. He assured them of every possible assistance to mitigate the difficulties faced by people following the disaster.
Shah said teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Forces (SDRF) had swung into action and were carrying out rescue and relief operations on a war footing.
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He added that Inter-Ministerial Central Teams (IMCTs) would soon be sent to assess the damage caused by the cyclone and determine the additional assistance required by the affected states.
"The Government of India stands with the people with resolute commitment", Shah said.
The unprecedented downpour has raised concerns about flooding, waterlogging and disruption to normal life in the north coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh, as well as Ganjam and Kandhamal districts in Odisha.
The Odisha government has also been planning to airlift around 120 people. Gusty winds, fallen trees and damaged electricity poles have disrupted daily life in affected areas. The East Coast National Highway, one of the region’s busiest routes, has also suffered severe disruption.
Andhra Pradesh has been among the worst-affected states, even after the cyclone made landfall on Wednesday morning near Narsapur in West Godavari district.
Violent winds battered parts of the East and West Godavari districts, along with the north coastal districts of Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam and Anakapalli.
