Bhubaneswar: Almost all blocks of Odisha’s Gajapati district and some blocks of Ganjam district received more than 150 mm of rainfall during the last 24 hours due to the impact of severe cyclonic storm ‘Arnab’ that made landfall near Yanam in Andhra Pradesh Wednesday morning.

This was revealed by Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Rajesh Prabhakar Patil after a review meeting in the evening. Gajapati district recorded the highest rainfall in the state during the last 24 hours.

“The severe cyclone Arnab, which made its landfall starting around 2 o'clock near Yanam in Andhra Pradesh, continued until 8 am. Now it is completely moving on the land side and is likely to reach the Malkangiri district of Odisha in the evening,” said the SRC.   

In the last 24 hours, almost all blocks in Gajapati and some blocks in Ganjam have received more than 150 mm of rainfall, he added. “We are expecting heavy rains in the districts of Malkangiri, Koraput, Nuapada, and Kalahandi. We are keeping a close watch on the situation,” he said.

According to the SRC, the authorities have shifted around 28,000 people from vulnerable areas to relief camps. “We have also shifted 2,200 pregnant women who had their expected delivery dates (EDDs) this week. Our response forces are on high alert. The vulnerable areas are being guarded by a sufficient number of response forces from both the state and the centre,” Patil added.