Flash Floods Inundate Berhampur as Cyclone Arnab Traps Thousands in Marooned Villages

Berhampur: Widespread devastation has gripped Odisha’s Ganjam district after four days of torrential rain triggered by Cyclone Arnab left 300 villages marooned. Swelling rivers, including the Rushikulya and Ghodahada, have breached danger marks, submerging low-lying habitations, vast agricultural plains, and critical highways.

The Sanakhemundi, Aska, and Digapahandi blocks are the worst hit, with major road networks like National Highway 326 blocked under five feet of water. In response, the state administration has launched urgent air-rescue missions to evacuate families completely trapped by the fast-rising flash floods.

"The state government is in contact with the Ministry of Home Affairs, and arrangements are being made to airlift people from the marooned areas," stated Chief Secretary Anu Garg following a high-level review meeting in Bhubaneswar.

Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), ODRAF, and local fire services are leading ground rescue efforts, shifting stranded residents to cyclone shelters. Fortunately, due to massive early evacuation drives that relocated thousands before landfall, no casualties have been recorded in the state.

However, authorities remain on high alert as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) warns of continued heavy rainfall while the system transitions inland.

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