Odisha Evacuates 1.6 Lakh as Cyclone Murasu Approaches Andhra Coast

The India Meteorological Department reported on 2 November that severe cyclonic storm Murasu was centered approximately 200 km east-northeast of Chennai and moving northwest at 25 kmph. The storm is expected to cross the southern Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Narsapur, near Ongole, between 23:30 on 2 November and 04:00 on 3 November, with sustained winds of 100-110 kmph gusting to 120 kmph.

Odisha has evacuated more than 160,000 people, the large majority from Ganjam district, which was heavily affected by Cyclone Arnab less than a week earlier. Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari stated that the target is to move 333,000 people into 1,139 shelters. Eight districts—Ganjam, Gajapati, Koraput, Rayagada, Malkangiri, Kandhamal, Kalahandi, and Puri—are under heavy rainfall alerts. Over 300 teams from the National Disaster Response Force, Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force, and state fire services have been pre-positioned.

Schools and Anganwadi centers in the southern districts will remain closed on 3 November; some will stay closed on 4 November as well. More than 20 flights have been cancelled at airports serving the affected coastal zone. Approximately 150 landslide-prone locations have been identified in Gajapati district because of rainfall from the previous system.

Murasu follows Cyclone Arnab, which made landfall on 28 October and left six people dead while affecting roughly 118,000 people with flooding and landslides. Restoration work in those areas is incomplete. Additional rainfall through 4 November raises the risk of renewed flooding and delayed road and power restoration.

The storm's name, Murasu, means war drum in Tamil. IMD forecasts indicate that peak wind speeds will be lower than those of Arnab, but the cumulative effect of back-to-back systems on saturated ground is the primary concern for local administrations. Southern Odisha and northern Andhra Pradesh both expect heavy to very heavy rainfall.

In Andhra Pradesh, authorities have issued alerts for Nellore, Prakasam, and surrounding districts. The precise landfall point between Nellore and Narsapur determines which coastal communities face the strongest winds. Evacuation orders in low-lying and cyclone-shelter zones were already underway on 2 November.

The operational numbers are specific. Ganjam alone had relocated 151,434 people by afternoon against a district target of nearly 295,000. The remaining districts continue phased movement. Shelter capacity and food stocks were reviewed in a meeting chaired by the Special Relief Commissioner on 2 November.

Power and telecommunications utilities have pre-positioned repair crews. Road clearance teams with excavators are stationed at known choke points on National Highway 326 and other routes that were blocked after Arnab. The sequence of two cyclones within six days is unusual for the Bay of Bengal in early November and has strained recovery resources that had not yet finished work from the first storm.

Forecast confidence on the landfall window is high. The exact intensity at landfall and the inland rainfall totals will determine the final damage assessment. Current IMD guidance places the system as a severe cyclonic storm at crossing, not a very severe or extremely severe system.

For residents still in the path, the immediate requirements are movement to the designated shelters before the evening of 2 November and avoidance of low-lying areas once rainfall intensifies. Local administrations have published shelter lists and contact numbers through district control rooms.