Ferocious Storm Arnab Batters Bengal Coast, Three Killed, Power Cut, Thousands Evacuated To Shelters

Puri, India— Cyclone Arnab slammed into India’s eastern coast on October 31, 2026, killing three people, displacing thousands and cutting off entire villages under storm surge and rain.

The system made landfall near the Odisha-Bengal border in the early afternoon. The India Meteorological Department said sustained winds hit 135 kilometers per hour, with gusts far higher. The sea pushed inland more than a kilometer in places. That is when the water came fast.

Officials confirmed two deaths in Odisha and one in West Bengal. All three were in coastal districts. One man was crushed by a falling tree. Two others drowned after being trapped in low-lying homes. Police said the toll could shift as reports came in from remote blocks.

More than 20,000 people had been moved before landfall. District collectors ordered evacuations from 48 hours out. Fishing was banned. Schools were shut. Still, thousands stayed to guard boats and cattle. They paid for it when the surge hit.

In Puri and Balasore, wind ripped tin roofs clean off. Power poles snapped like sticks. A state official said more than 300 villages lost electricity. Mobile networks failed. National Disaster Response Force teams used loudspeakers to move people to cyclone shelters that were already packed.

Fishermen watched their boats smash against concrete embankments. One owner in Digha said he lost three vessels in 20 minutes. Another said his nets, his only income, were washed out to sea. On the beach, debris was piled three feet high.

Relief camps were overflowing by evening. In one school in Kendrapara, more than 600 people were sheltering in four rooms. No drinking water. The kitchen was flooded. A local volunteer said women were cooking rice on a single gas stove while water rose outside.

The meteorological office said Arnab would weaken as it moved inland but would dump extreme rain over Odisha, Jharkhand and West Bengal for another 24 hours. River levels were already climbing. Embankments in two districts showed cracks.

State governments said damage assessment would start at first light. For now, roads remain blocked by fallen trees. Boats are still banned. Power crews cannot reach many lines.