With one cyclone barely behind it and another weather system gathering force in the Bay of Bengal, Odisha is running two disaster operations simultaneously — and the Chief Minister's Office of Odisha laid out the full picture on Sunday, November 1, 2026. Relief and restoration after Cyclone Arnab are racing ahead in the hardest-hit districts of Ganjam and Kandhamal, even as the state braces for a deep depression expected to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast by November 3.

75,855 evacuated, 396 camps open — the human scale of Arnab's aftermath

The numbers alone tell the story of the mobilisation. 75,855 people have been moved from vulnerable areas to safety, sheltered across 396 relief camps that are providing cooked meals and essential supplies. Critically, the state flagged a detail that rarely makes headlines: 807 pregnant women were safely relocated, and 399 institutional deliveries were successfully conducted under the emergency arrangements — a quiet but significant measure of how far Odisha's disaster health protocol has evolved since the devastating 1999 super cyclone.

Power back in Boudh, Malkangiri, Rayagada and Berhampur city

More than 6,400 personnel are in the field for power restoration, and they have already brought back over 96% of affected infrastructure. Full normal supply has been restored in Boudh, Malkangiri, Rayagada, and Berhampur city. On the water front, 2,575 tubewells have been disinfected and 162 rural piped water supply projects revived. Berhampur city is now receiving 70 million litres per day (MLD), backed by 20 water tankers and the distribution of drinking water pouches and bottles — a logistical chain that keeps a major coastal city functional while its mains recover.

The Janibali sand bund race — 120 workers, three machines, one deadline

One of the most urgent ongoing tasks is the construction of a protective sand bund at Janibali, where 120 workers and three poclain machines are operating to safeguard uninterrupted water supply. The phrase 'war footing' — used twice in the official update — is not rhetoric here; it reflects the compressed window before the next system arrives.

Eyes on the Bay: deep depression to cross AP coast by November 3

Odisha's disaster response forces are already on standby for the incoming deep depression. Low-lying coastal areas are under close monitoring, and fishermen have been strictly advised not to venture into the sea. The advisory is standard protocol for Odisha's coastline, which runs along one of the world's most active cyclone corridors. The state has run this playbook before — large-scale pre-emptive evacuations ahead of Cyclone Fani in 2019 were widely cited as a model of zero-casualty disaster management — and the current posture signals it intends to run it again.

The CMO's message to citizens was direct: remain vigilant, follow official advisories, and do not panic. Two storms, one state, one administration — and the clock is ticking toward November 3.