New Delhi, 29 October (H.S.): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday assured Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry, Odisha and Chhattisgarh of all possible assistance following the impact of Cyclone Arnab, which caused crop damage and hardship to people in the affected areas.

In a post on X, Shah said he had spoken to the Chief Ministers of the four states and assured them of assistance to mitigate the difficulties faced by people following the disaster.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams are continuing rescue and relief operations. Shah said the teams had been deployed and were working on a war footing.

Inter-Ministerial Central Teams (IMCTs) will soon visit the affected areas to assess the impact of the cyclone and determine the additional assistance required. Shah said the Central government remained firmly committed to supporting people affected by the disaster.

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the system associated with Cyclone Arnab had weakened after moving northwards over the past several hours. In its National Bulletin No. 30, issued at 0300 hours IST on Thursday, the IMD reported that the deep depression had weakened over north coastal Andhra Pradesh and adjoining areas.

The IMD forecast further weakening during Thursday, with the system likely to become a well-marked low-pressure area by evening. The department also issued rainfall warnings for several states, including Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

The weather agency advised fishermen not to venture into the sea along the affected Andhra Pradesh and Odisha coasts and parts of the Bay of Bengal during the warning period. Authorities were also advised to take precautions against waterlogging, traffic disruptions and possible damage in vulnerable areas.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Indrani Sarkar