Cyclone Arnab: 609 Andhra schools turn into relief shelters

People rest at a relief shelter set up in a school in Kakinada on Tuesday night (October 27, 2026), ahead of Cyclone Arnab’s landfall. | Photo Credit: Mahesh Kumar A.

The Andhra Pradesh School Education Department has stepped up its preparedness to deal with Cyclone Arnab. As many as 609 school campuses across the State have been activated as relief shelters and 150 schools have been identified as vulnerable to flooding or inundation. Another 78 school buildings have been flagged for potential structural collapse, according to the department’s preparedness status report submitted to the Real Time Governance Society (RTGS) at 6 a.m. on Wednesday (October 28, 2026).

The department is monitoring 58,616 schools across 28 districts, covering 2,22,904 staff members and nearly 69.6 lakh students. Holidays have been declared in 16 coastal districts as a precautionary measure and instructions have been issued to all District Educational Officers (DEOs) and Mandal Educational Officers (MEOs) to ensure the safety of students and staff.

Control rooms with designated nodal officers have been established in every DEO office to coordinate preparedness and emergency response round the clock. School authorities have also been instructed to keep parents informed about school closures and the availability of relief shelters.

Residents of Uppalanka village in Karapa mandal of Kakinada district have been moved to a school being used as a cyclone shelter, where a medical camp has been set up to look after them. | Photo Credit: PTI

As part of infrastructure safety measures, the department has focused on 1,604 vulnerable schools and 544 weak structures. Roofs, walls and other structural components of vulnerable buildings are being checked and unsafe buildings have been barricaded to prevent access. The department had reported no damage to schools as of 6 a.m.

The preparedness measures include stocking drinking water, food supplies, first-aid kits and other essential emergency materials at schools designated as relief shelters. Updated lists of students and staff, along with their contact details, have also been maintained to facilitate communication and emergency coordination.

Staff members have been directed to remain available at schools functioning as relief shelters. As many as 17,054 student volunteers belonging to the National Cadet Corps (NCC), National Service Scheme (NSS) and Scouts have been mobilised as part of the preparedness efforts.

The department is coordinating with the Revenue, Police, Health, Fire and Electricity departments to ensure an effective response to any emergency. Emergency contact numbers 100, 108 and 112 have been displayed at schools and situation reports are being regularly submitted to the RTGS and the Directorate of School Education. Any incidents are to be reported immediately.

The report follows the intensification of a low-pressure system over the Bay of Bengal into a depression on October 24, a deep depression on October 25 and a cyclonic storm on October 26. The cyclone crossed the coast near Narsapur early on Wednesday and has since weakened into a severe cyclonic storm.

School Education Department officials said the department’s preparedness measures were based on the 15-point instructions issued to district-level BC Welfare education officials on October 27, along with weather forecasts from the India Meteorological Department and the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority.

Published - October 28, 2026 11:14 am IST