Cyclone Arnab crossed the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coast on 28 October 2026. According to India Meteorological Department (IMD) bulletins reported by news agencies, it came ashore south-west of Yanam as a very severe cyclonic storm and then weakened steadily over land, while IMD warned of heavy rain over Odisha.
On 29 October, Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry, Odisha and Chhattisgarh. In a statement released by PIB, he assured them of "every assistance". He said teams of the NDRF and SDRF were carrying out rescue and relief, and that Inter-Ministerial Central Teams (IMCTs) would soon be sent to assess the damage and the further help required.
We explained how Arnab was named and how IMD grades cyclones in our article of 26 October, when it formed. This article covers what happens next: why a cyclone weakens once it reaches land, and how India's disaster-management system responds.
Why four States were contacted
The list of governments the Home Minister called is itself a geography lesson.
- Andhra Pradesh took the landfall.
- Puducherry is on the list because of Yanam. Yanam is one of the Union Territory's four districts, an enclave in the Godavari delta entirely surrounded by Andhra Pradesh.
- Odisha lies to the north-east along the coast and received heavy rain as the weakening storm moved inland.
- Chhattisgarh lies inland, north of the landfall area. A cyclone's remnants can carry heavy rain hundreds of kilometres from the coast.
Puducherry's four scattered districts
| District | Located on the coast of | Former ruler |
|---|---|---|
| Puducherry | Tamil Nadu (Coromandel coast) | France |
| Karaikal | Tamil Nadu (Kaveri delta) | France |
| Mahé | Kerala (Malabar coast, on the Arabian Sea) | France |
| Yanam | Andhra Pradesh (Godavari delta) | France |
These were French settlements. They were transferred to India de facto on 1 November 1954, and de jure in 1962. That is why one Union Territory has territory on both the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, in three different States.
Why a cyclone weakens after landfall
A tropical cyclone is a heat engine that runs on the ocean. Warm sea water, generally above about 26.5°C, evaporates. When this moist air rises and condenses into cloud, it releases latent heat, which warms the air, makes it rise faster, and lowers the pressure at the centre. Air rushes in to replace it, and the Coriolis effect turns the inflow into a spinning vortex.
Landfall breaks this engine in three ways:
- The fuel supply stops. Over land there is no warm sea to evaporate. The supply of moist air, and so of latent heat, falls sharply.
- Friction increases. Land, with its trees, hills and buildings, is far rougher than the sea. Friction slows the winds near the ground and disrupts the circulation.
- Dry air gets in. Drier air over land is drawn into the storm and weakens the cloud system.
This is why a storm's category falls step by step after landfall: a very severe cyclonic storm becomes a severe cyclonic storm, then a cyclonic storm, a deep depression, a depression and finally a low-pressure area. Arnab followed this sequence.
The physical basis is explained in our notes on winds and air masses.
The wind falls faster than the rain
A weakening storm still holds a great deal of moisture. Its winds drop within hours of landfall, but heavy rain can continue for days as the remnant moves inland. Where the moist air is forced up over hills, such as the Eastern Ghats and the uplands of Odisha and Chhattisgarh, the rainfall can actually increase. This orographic effect is why flooding in inland districts often comes a day or two after the landfall itself.
Three dangers at the coast
| Hazard | Cause | Who is most at risk |
|---|---|---|
| Storm surge | Strong onshore winds and low pressure raise the sea and push it inland | Low-lying deltas and shallow coasts |
| Wind damage | Sustained winds and stronger gusts | Kutcha houses, power lines, crops, trees |
| Flooding | Very heavy rain, often lasting after landfall | River basins and low-lying fields |
In the Northern Hemisphere, a cyclone's winds turn anticlockwise. On the side of the storm to the right of its direction of movement, the forward motion of the storm adds to the wind speed, so winds and storm surge are usually strongest there. Forecasters therefore pay most attention to the coastline to the right of the landfall point.
The Krishna-Godavari delta, where Arnab came ashore, is flat, low-lying and densely farmed. That makes it especially exposed to both surge and flooding.
How India responds
India's disaster-management system has a clear chain, set by the Disaster Management Act, 2005:
| Level | Body | Chaired by |
|---|---|---|
| National | National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) | Prime Minister |
| National (executive) | National Executive Committee | Union Home Secretary |
| Crisis review | National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) | Cabinet Secretary |
| State | State Disaster Management Authority | Chief Minister |
| District | District Disaster Management Authority | District Collector (or District Magistrate) |
The Ministry of Home Affairs is the nodal ministry for natural disasters. For Arnab, the NCMC met under the Cabinet Secretary on 26 October, two days before landfall, to review preparations.
The response forces
- National Disaster Response Force (NDRF): a specialised force set up under the 2005 Act and raised in 2006. Its battalions are drawn from the Central Armed Police Forces, such as the BSF, CRPF, ITBP, CISF and SSB, and it works under the MHA. Teams are positioned in the threatened area before landfall.
- State Disaster Response Forces (SDRFs): each State's own trained response force.
- The armed forces: called in to aid civil authorities for rescue, evacuation, air drops of relief and restoring communications. The Navy's Eastern Naval Command is headquartered at Visakhapatnam, close to Arnab's track.
The money
| Fund | Level | Use |
|---|---|---|
| State Disaster Response Fund | State | First line of funding for immediate relief; the Centre contributes 75% for most States and 90% for the North-Eastern and Himalayan States |
| National Disaster Response Fund | Centre | Additional help when a disaster is "of severe nature" and the State fund is not enough |
This is where the IMCTs come in. After a State submits a memorandum on the damage, an Inter-Ministerial Central Team visits to assess it. Its report is the basis for any extra assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund.
Note the double meaning of "SDRF": it can stand for the State Disaster Response Force (people) or the State Disaster Response Fund (money). In the Home Minister's statement, it means the force. Examiners can exploit this.
Warnings before landfall
IMD's cyclone warnings come in four stages:
| Stage | Issued about |
|---|---|
| Pre-cyclone watch | 72 hours before strong winds are expected |
| Cyclone alert | 48 hours before |
| Cyclone warning | 24 hours before |
| Post-landfall outlook | 12 hours before landfall, for the inland areas the storm will affect |
The last stage matters for a storm like Arnab, whose rain affected Odisha and Chhattisgarh after it crossed the Andhra coast.
Lessons learned on the east coast
The system was built largely on lessons from past disasters. After the 1999 Odisha super cyclone, which killed about 10,000 people, Odisha set up the Odisha State Disaster Mitigation Authority in 1999, ahead of the national law. Since then, early warnings, cyclone shelters and mass evacuation have greatly reduced deaths in later storms. The National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project, begun in 2011 with World Bank support, built multi-purpose cyclone shelters and warning systems in coastal States including Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.
The aim today is "zero casualty": to move people out of danger before the storm arrives, so that the damage is to property, not lives.
🔑 Revision block
The event. Cyclone Arnab crossed the Andhra Pradesh-Yanam coast on 28 October 2026, south-west of Yanam, as a very severe cyclonic storm, and weakened over land; heavy rain over Odisha.
The response. On 29 October, Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to the CMs of Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry, Odisha and Chhattisgarh; NDRF and SDRF in rescue and relief; IMCTs to assess damage. The NCMC (Cabinet Secretary) reviewed preparations on 26 October.
Yanam. One of Puducherry's four districts (with Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahé); an enclave in the Godavari delta, surrounded by Andhra Pradesh; French until 1954 (de facto), 1962 (de jure).
Why storms weaken. Loss of warm sea (above about 26.5°C) and latent heat; friction over land; dry air. Winds fall fast, rain continues, and can increase over hills (orographic).
Hazards. Storm surge, wind, flooding; strongest to the right of the track in the Northern Hemisphere.
System. DM Act 2005: NDMA (PM), NEC (Home Secretary), SDMA (CM), DDMA (Collector); NCMC (Cabinet Secretary); MHA nodal; NDRF raised 2006 from CAPFs.
Funds. State Disaster Response Fund (Centre 75%, or 90% for NE and Himalayan States); National Disaster Response Fund for severe disasters, after an IMCT assessment.
Warnings. Pre-cyclone watch (72 h) → cyclone alert (48 h) → cyclone warning (24 h) → post-landfall outlook (12 h).
🎯 Practice MCQs
Q1. Which of the following is NOT one of the four districts of the Union Territory of Puducherry? (a) Karaikal (b) Mahé (c) Yanam (d) Tranquebar
→ (d) Tranquebar (Tharangambadi) in Tamil Nadu was a Danish settlement, not French.
Q2. A tropical cyclone weakens after landfall mainly because: (a) the Coriolis force becomes stronger over land (b) it loses its supply of warm, moist air from the sea (c) the temperature over land is always higher (d) the Earth's rotation slows the storm
→ (b) Increased friction and dry air add to the loss of the ocean's heat and moisture.
Q3. The National Disaster Management Authority is chaired by the: (a) Union Home Minister (b) Cabinet Secretary (c) Union Home Secretary (d) Prime Minister
→ (d) The Cabinet Secretary chairs the National Crisis Management Committee; the Home Secretary chairs the National Executive Committee.
Q4. In the Northern Hemisphere, the winds of a tropical cyclone circulate: (a) anticlockwise (b) clockwise (c) clockwise near the centre and anticlockwise outside (d) in a straight line towards the centre
→ (a) In the Southern Hemisphere they circulate clockwise.
Q5. The National Disaster Response Force is made up mainly of personnel drawn from: (a) the Territorial Army (b) the Central Armed Police Forces (c) the Home Guards (d) the National Cadet Corps
→ (b) Its battalions come from forces such as the BSF, CRPF, ITBP, CISF and SSB.
Q6. Consider the following statements: 1. The State Disaster Response Fund is the first source of money for immediate relief after a disaster. 2. An Inter-Ministerial Central Team assesses damage before additional help is given from the National Disaster Response Fund. Which is/are correct? (a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2
→ (c) The National Fund supplements the State Fund for disasters of a severe nature.
Q7. In IMD's four-stage cyclone warning system, a "cyclone alert" is issued about how long before strong winds are expected? (a) 12 hours (b) 24 hours (c) 48 hours (d) 72 hours
→ (c) A pre-cyclone watch comes at 72 hours and a cyclone warning at 24 hours.
Q8. Rainfall from a weakening cyclone may increase as it moves over the Eastern Ghats because of: (a) the orographic lifting of moist air (b) the rise in sea-surface temperature (c) the reversal of the Coriolis effect (d) the cooling of the land at night
→ (a) Air forced up over hills cools and condenses, releasing more rain.
Q9. The Disaster Management Act, under which the NDMA and NDRF were set up, was enacted in: (a) 1999 (b) 2001 (c) 2005 (d) 2010
→ (c) 1999 is the year of the Odisha super cyclone.
Q10. Which of the following combinations of hazards is most associated with a severe cyclone's landfall on a low-lying delta coast? (a) Avalanche, landslide and frost (b) Earthquake, tsunami and liquefaction (c) Storm surge, strong winds and flooding (d) Drought, heatwave and dust storms
→ (c) Storm surge has historically caused most cyclone deaths on India's east coast.
📋 How this gets asked (PYQ pattern)
Cyclones are a regular part of the NDA geography section, and a landfall in the news brings out four kinds of question.
The first is the mechanism question: why cyclones form over warm seas and weaken over land, and which way they rotate in each hemisphere. These are standard physical-geography items, and the current event makes them more likely.
The second is the map question: where the storm crossed and which States or Union Territories were affected. The Yanam enclave, and Puducherry's scattered districts, are exactly the kind of detail examiners use.
The third is the institution question: who chairs the NDMA, the NEC and the NCMC, which law set them up, and who makes up the NDRF. The chairpersons are the usual trap.
The fourth is the fund question: the difference between the State and National Disaster Response Funds, and the Centre's share.
At the SSB, a group discussion on "disaster management in India" can use the east coast's record. The useful point is that deaths from cyclones have fallen sharply since 1999 because of warnings, shelters and early evacuation, while losses of houses, crops and power lines remain high.
Preparing for NDA? Keep one page for each cyclone of the year: name, contributing country, landfall area, category at landfall and the States affected. Revise it with the physical geography of cyclones. Build the base with our NDA study material, follow the daily NDA current affairs, and train with serving-standard faculty in the upcoming Cavalier courses in Delhi.
Source: PIB / Ministry of Home Affairs, 29 October 2026, and IMD bulletins as reported by news agencies on 28-29 October 2026. Disaster-management structures, funding rules and the history of Puducherry cross-checked with the Disaster Management Act, 2005, Ministry of Home Affairs guidelines and standard references.
✍️ Written by Maj Sunil Chopra — Veteran, Indian Army; defence-studies & current-affairs faculty at The Cavalier. Reviewed by the Cavalier Faculty Desk.